City Fox in Bunnyburrows
by The-crazy-lone-wolf77
Summary: Young Nick figured he'd slide his way through life doing the same thing, until the day he's caught by his mom and sent to live in Bunnyburrow for a summer. Will it be as terrible as he thinks, or will we certain bunny make everything better.
1. Chapter 1

My life has never been particularly easy. I grew up in a dysfunctional family with an abusive, lazy, alcoholic father and a mother who worked nearly every hour of the day just to help us survive. For seven years I was cursed with living with a bastard who didn't care and a mother who could never be there. The occasional beatings from my alcoholic raged father didn't help much either. All of that might have been a little more bearable if I wasn't a fox; which, with all the specists today, made everything about ten times worse.

Luckily, when I was eight, my mother had finally had enough and gained enough courage to call the cops on my asshole father after he got done beating the both of us. He deservingly got locked up and is never aloud to come near me or my mother for the rest of our life's. After that it seemed like things might have started looking up for us, which at first it did. My mother didn't have to work as long since she no longer had to provide for my parasitic father. So she was able to spend more time with me, and for once in my young life I had been happy. I had a loving parent in my life that was actually able to be there for me. Unfortunately, that only lasted for about a year. After that, things went back to shit.

It had all started with a stupid little dream of mine where I wanted to be a junior ranger scout. I don't really know why I even wanted to. Maybe it was because I wanted to be apart of something, maybe I wanted to be apart of a pack of some sorts. I don't know for sure, but it was the only thing I wanted for weeks. Finally the time came for me to go to my first scout meeting, my mom had saved enough money to buy me a uniform and I was ready. I remember walking in with confidence, ready to make some friends, ready to be apart of something, even if I was going to be the only predator. It was then I got a harsh reality check about myself and my kind in general. Being a fox and predator made me an easy target at a young age for bullying, and it wasn't until that night that I learned how ruthless others, especially kids, could be.

Being shoved violently to the ground, being forcefully restrained by the others, then having a muzzle painfully shoved onto my face was an experience that would scar anyone, and something that would stay with me for the rest of my life. Something that sent me running out of that building crying my eyes out like a new born kit. I remember wondering if I had done something wrong and wanting to know if I somehow screwed everything up, but I came to realize that it was done all because I was a fox. I took away two important things from that night: I would never again show that anyone got to me, and if the world was only going to see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, then why try to be anything else. And that's what set up the basis of my life for years to come. I've stood by those two things, even when it would have been better if I hadn't.

As the years passed by and I grew older, it only got worse and worse. The prejudices held against not only predators, but foxes specifically was unspeakable and down right despicable. Even other predators who faced prejudice themselves looked down on foxes like they were lesser animals. Everywhere I went others expected that I was going to steal something, that I was going to trick someone, lie, cheat; the list goes on and on. If I was holding something and a cop passed by me they always assumed I had stolen it. If I got a good grade everyone would suspect that I had cheated. I was always presumed guilty even if I didn't do anything. Some days I just wished that I could spend one day not being a fox, to not be met with thr everyday racial slurs directed at me, to actually be seen as just another animal. But it would never happen, I was doomed to live the life of a fox; so why not own it?

Some time during middle school I met another fox who would be my friend and my partner for the next few years. Finnick the fennec fox was someone who shared a similar problem with me: we were both foxes. Him being really short also didn't help him in any ways. We met when I was in sixth grade and he was in seventh and he helped me when a group of bullies had backed me against some lockers. I had been handling the situation fairly well, never breaking away from my 'cool guy who doesn't give a shit' facade that I wore all to well. During that, Finnick decided to step in and scare them off with a few detailed threats and finished by snarling at them. He may be short, but he sure as hell could put the scare in you.

He had made sure I was fine and was glad to hear that I was. That's the day when he told me us foxes had to stick together, or else the world was going to trample over us. There weren't many foxes in the city, us being a minority of a minority, so it was easy for our kind to just be looked over and seen as not really important. From that moment on, Finnick and I became great friends; or as good of friends one could get with him. He wasn't the friendliest of animals and has a very short fuse, but he seemed to treat me better than others so I considered us friends. It wasn't until a year after we met, though, that we became partners.

Money was still always tight with mom and I. Even after my father was joyously, forcefully removed from our lives, my mom could still barley make all the necessary payments and keep us fed. And as months passed by, I saw how tired she was. I saw the gray hairs forming around her face and the bags drooping under her eyes. She did so much for me and I felt like I needed to help her. Finnick was also in a similar situation, his family also being barley able to survive on their funds. So we, being Finnick and I, decided that we needed to make a few extra bucks for our families.

Though there are a lot of animals that don't trust foxes, there are still some that are dumb enough to fall for the simplest of scams. Finnick and myself would do an assortment of different things to rob people blind of there money. Our most common one being Finnick pretending to be my little brother. He'd dress like a little kit and then I'd give some animal a sappy sob story about how we needed money for food because we were homeless, and boom: easy money. It's amazing how pretending to suffer could make us so much cash.

After a hard day of work, we'd split the money half and half. On a good day we were usually making around 500 dollars, depending on how generous animals were feeling that day, which meant I'd take home around 250 dollars. We'd do that everyday and at the end of the week, I'd take half my earnings, put it in an envelope and put it in our mailbox. I kept it anonymous so that mom didn't know it was me, because I'm pretty sure she'd blow a fuse if she found out I had been doing this. Luckily she hasn't found out yet, and she still thinks it's some random animal being a good samaritan and helping out a family in need. She says that its a blessing for us, and it shows that there are good animals out there. Where as in reality it was me, because no one would ever think about helping out a family of foxes.

And that's been my life up to this point. I'd prefer if it wasn't as depressing and didn't make me feel like life wasn't worth living; but hey, beggars can't be choosers. And I figured that I might as well get used to it, because I had a feeling that I'd be living like this for a very long time. Or, at least that's what I thought.

Skip forward to the present and you could find me, a recently graduated Junior in High School, walking in the dark down a poorly lit sidewalk making my way home after a long day of working with Finnick. Fortunately, the light wasn't much of a problem due to my amazing night vision; that's one perk to being a fox I guess. I occasionally glanced from side to side, making sure that no one was trying to get behind me, or jump me. I didn't exactly live in the best part of the city, and between drunken bums and gangs you always had to be on the look out for potential danger at every corner. It wouldn't worry me as much if it didn't happen way to often.

Lucky for me I was able to make it back to my raggedy old home unharmed. I call the house raggedy, which it is I mean it was part of some of the first buildings ever built in Zootopia, but mom is able to keep it looking nice. I walked up the outer stairs, unlocked the door and went in to a darkened house, which was odd considering mom usually kept the lights on until I got home. But I didn't think much of it. I locked the door behind me and was about to go upstairs to my room when I heard my mom call me from the living room. I cocked my head, becoming a little confused. I looked down at my watch and verified to myself that it was indeed ten o'clock. Mom never stayed up this late, she went to sleep early because she had to wake up early for her job. Something was up.

I slowly crept my way over to the living room and peeked my head in seeing my mom sitting there reading one of her many books. She didn't really look mad but I couldn't really get any emotion off of her either, and I don't know which is worse. Mom is usually a very happy woman, even with everything she has been through. She never seemed to let any of that get to her, always pushing the hurtful words and stares away. She is one of my main inspirations, besides that dark night, that helped me to never let anyone see that they get to me. Though I may not wear a smile everywhere I go, I've never acted in rage against anyone nor have I given anyone else the pleasure of seeing me break down in tears. The point is that I rarely see her without a smile, no matter what she's doing.

I did know that look, actually. I had seen it on many occasions when dad was still tormenting us. It was a look of discontent and displeasure. She knew something and she didn't like it. Had there been a death in the family? I don't think dad has served his whole sentence in prison, and nothing else jumped into my mind that would cause her to be upset. Unless she lost her job, again. It's not that she isn't a good worker, because she's one of the hardest workers you'll ever meet. It just comes back to species. The last job she lost was because they had to let a few people go, and even though mom was one of their best, she was let go because she was a fox. Of course that's not how they would tell it, no one wanted to admit that they're speciest; but I knew better than to believe in their lies.

But I don't think losing her job was the problem either. One reason being that her boss was actually really kind to us, the owner actually being a predator and not someone who hated foxes. That, and I knew I'd see tears in her eyes if she had been fired or laid off. No, it had to be something else. And something told me I wasn't going to like it.

She must have sensed my presence because she looked up from her book and straight at me. Our eyes met for only a moment, but something about them made me shudder. Something had her really upset. Her gaze fell off from me back to her book as she pointed to a seat that was right next to her. Now I'm not scared of my mom, but she was really starting to freak me out. She was treating this like some sort of interrogation.

I slowly made my way over to the chair, being careful with every step I took thinking that if I made a wrong move, she would snap at me. It was deathly silent, the only sound being made was the old floor creaking under my steps. I sat myself down and waited patiently for her to speak. With every second she stayed silent my heart beat grew faster as I ran through all the different scenarios that could play out here. Eventually I came up with two options: either she was about to break some very bad news to me, or I was going to be in very deep shit. But being in trouble wasn't all that uncommon with me.

Though I may not get into fights in a physical way, since I'm much to small to take on someone like a rhino, I do tend to provoke violence. Using my silver tongue, I can easily manipulate a situation to my favor. For example, getting a bear to fight another asshole bear. It's amazing what you can do if you just say that someone's been messing with their girl. Usually I don't get caught, but there are a few occasions where I've been ratted out. And to say my mom was pissed to hear about these, well that would be a bit of an understatement. We had a long chat the night I was first caught about how manipulating people was a terrible thing to do, and that it gave a bad name to foxes. I'm just glad she hadn't figured out about mine and Finnicks little jobs.

After what seemed to be like an eternity, mom finally set down her book. She still didn't look my way though, trying to avoid my gaze for some reason. That's when I got the first bit of emotion from her, the look on her face was that of... disappointment? I gulped, only imagining what she was about to say.

She finally found me with her eyes and stared me down long and hard. So much discourage riddle in her emotions, I could almost feel it radiating off from her. With a little sigh, she finally began to talk.

"Nick, I know what you've been doing," she stated plainly, but the disappointment was there. I inwardly cringed at this, but I couldn't jump to conclusions about what she meant. I didn't want to self incriminate myself.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion, playing stupid in hopes she'd buy it. Unfortunately for me, she did not.

"Don't give me that bull shit, Nickolas," She raised her voice, coming awfully close to yelling. I flinched, not used to mom being the one yelling. Talking to me sternly or scolding me, yah she does that all the time; but screaming was something that only dad would do.

She closed her eyes and composed herself, trying to keep herself from blowing up on me, which I am very glad for. There are many things that I hate, and being yelled at is up high on that list. Don't get me wrong, I can take getting yelled at. It's not very uncommon for foxes to get yelled at on the streets, a lot of the times for just being a fox. I will admit that I do deserve it at times, but it doesn't mean I like it. It tends to bring up bad memories of my dearest old father. It seems like yelling was his favorite thing to do besides getting wasted. If there wasn't a bottle shoved down his muzzle, he was screaming at me or mom to get him something to eat, then complaining about something that we couldn't control. I can hardly believe that I actually survived when he was living with us, and I can't begin to imagine the horrors mom went through with the guy.

She finally calmed herself down and began to talk with her normal calmness. "I saw you out there with your friend, Finnick. I saw how you scammed those poor animals out of their hard earned money," she cried out, starting to get emotional. I sat with my head drooped down, looking at the floor and avoiding her eyes at all costs. I hadn't seen her this upset in a long while, and knowing that I was the cause of it made it all the worse.

"How long..." she seethed, "how long have you been doing this for?"

I shuffled around and fidgeted with my paws, becoming increasingly nervous about her reaction to my impending answer. I had never seen my mom truly mad and I wished that I would never have to. But it seems that tonight may be the night her rage comes out.

"Nick," she warned, demanding for a straightforward answer.

"Since seventh grade," I mumbled out. I could feel her eyes shooting daggers at me.

"Please, don't be difficult, not right now," She pleaded.

"Since seventh grade," I said more clearly. I glanced up to see her reaction and saw her with closed eyes and a clenched jaw. Her paws had tightened into fists and her disappointment was replaced by anger. My ears laid flat against my head, not in shame though. I would never be sorry for scamming those animals out of their money. I could care less about them and their lives. If it took me pretending to be homeless and starving for someone to help me, then they deserved to lose that cash. No, I was mad that mom found out. I didn't want her to for this reason. I knew that it would upset her and I hated bringing her any sort of trouble because she already got enough of that when dad was around.

"How could you do this, Nick? I thought I raised you better then to be doing this," she sighed, her anger subsiding only to be replaced with sorrow. She looked at me as if I had betrayed her, like I had stabbed her in the back. "Foxes already get a bad name without you playing out to the stereotypes."

I shook my head, she just couldn't see it from my point of view. "I was just trying to help you out. You've been working so hard your entire life, and yet without my weekly donations we would have been evicted from this house and kicked to the streets a long time ago." I voiced. Mom may be a really hard and dedicated worker, but that didn't mean her salary was enough to sustain us. Ever since the landlord had increased our rent a few years ago, we had barley been able to make it by. If I hadn't started to do what I do, we wouldn't be living as comfortably as we are now. It seems from the look on her face that she hadn't quite pieced that part together.

"I-Its been you this entire time?" She asked in shock. I nodded my head. She sunk a little lower into her chair and I could see tears start to form in her eyes. I looked away ashamed that I was making her cry. It's not like I wanted for this to happen. I did this to help us, to create a better life for us.

"Please don't cry mom," I begged. "You know I only did this because I had to." I insisted to her, trying to get her to see that what I had done was justified. I didn't want all her hard work and suffering to be in vain. I wanted to help her, I did this in appreciation for what she does for me.

Her head snapped up and she gave me a deathly glare. "Don't you ever say that, Nick," she growled, "Don't you ever make the excuse that you 'had to'. Your father did the same thing you are doing and that was always his excuse." My eyes were wide and I sunk lower and lower into my chair the more she shouted at me. "There were plenty of other options for us that don't involve stealing. Then there are the consequences of it all. It's the reason I lost your father in the first place." After she said that, her mood changed and instead of looking angry she looked more tired. "I used to love him so much, and I knew he felt the same way for me. Then we started running low on money and he went behind my back and started doing the same thing you are. That's when the fox I fell in love with started to disappear. He began drinking more and more, becoming increasingly violent and eventually he turned into a whole other fox; someone I did not recognize," she gave out a hefty sigh and came back to normal, her rage subsiding and her sadness declining, now replaced with indifference.

"I don't want you to end up that way Nickolas, I don't want to turn into your father... I don't want to lose you like I did him."

"Mom, I promise you're not going to lose me. I'm nothing like him, I'm..." I didn't even get to finish before mom held up a paw telling me to stop talking. She lightly shook her head, which gave me an uneasy feeling that she was about to do something to me. Which wasn't far from the truth.

"Nick, I've known about this since Monday, and since them I've not only been trying to not only keep myself together, but also think of what I should do with you," she began to explain. So it's been six days that she's known about this, kind of surprised she hadn't given that away earlier. She usually isn't the best of liars.

As for the punishment, I wasn't to worried about it. She'd probably just ground me for a couple of weeks, try and keep me off the streets and away from Finnick. It would work for awhile, but the thing is she can't keep me locked up in here forever. I'll be back doing what I do eventually, and there isn't really any way she can stop me. There is always the possibility of her getting mad, but I'm just hoping that eventually she'll come around to the idea of this.

"I think being in the city, and growing up in this environment has just given off the wrong influences. I figure you need a little change of scenery, because I know how sweet and charming and good you really are. I know who you were before the scouts," I flinched a little at the mention of them. Still a scaring memory, even to this day. I can't help but have panic attacks every time I see a damn muzzle and I haven't walked by that building in years; if I have to pass it I walk on the opposite side of the street.

I didn't like where she was going with this. A change in scenery? What the hell is that supposed to mean. Where was she going to send me, Military School? I hope not. I've known some animals that have gone to those types of places and just come back completely changed. Its a bit depressing seeing someone you knew change so much, like their broken or a whole different person. I didn't want to end up like that.

"So, I contacted your Aunt Debra and have made some arrangements. I'm sending you to live with her and her family for the summer."

At first I didn't react, I tried to process what she just told me. Live with my Aunt for the rest of the summer? As the reality of it began to dawn on me, my eyes began to widen and my mouth fall open. Did she really just say that? Was she serious? I mean summers just began, we just started the break a week ago. Plus I had plans made up of everything I was going to do with Finnick and a few of my other friends. Then to top it all off, my Aunt lived in Bunnyburrows, a fricken place in the middle of nowhere overrun by rabbits.

I jumped to my feet and expressed this all to her. "You can't send me there, it's cruel and unusual punishment. Ground me, take away everything I own, starve me for all I care; just don't send me to redneck central," I begged of her. I could tell she was amused with herself, smiling smugly at me as she finally found the perfect punishment. Usually I would just brush this stuff off, but this was taking it to a whole new level.

"I guess you shouldn't have conned in the first place, then we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?" She stated. I tightened my jaw and clenched my fists tightly, becoming extremely aggravated. This wasn't supposed to happen, she was never supposed to find out. She was going to ruin everything.

"You can say goodbye to everyone tomorrow, but come Monday I'm driving you down there where you will stay until the week before school starts. Now go to your room."

I tried to argue with her and get her to change her mind, but she was standing firm with her decision. When I saw that there was nothing I could say that was going to change her mind, I gave up. I drooped my head and ears as I trudged out of the room and up the stairs. I can't believe she was doing this to me, taking me away from everything I know and shipping me to some hick town.

I got to my room, slammed my door shut, and flopped face first onto my bed. Anger and frustration flowed though me and I felt like punching a hole in my wall. I was angry at mom for doing this, at myself for not being more careful and getting caught, and at the world for forcing me to do this. I don't care what mom says, I had no choice but to do the things I've done. I bet she knows that, but with her good heart she doesn't want to admit that the only way for a fox to get ahead in this world is to do some illegal things.

I groaned at the thought of Finnick, and how pissed he was going to be that I couldn't help him this summer. This is the time where we make most of our money. Tourist season is starting and animals were going to come from all over the world to see Zootopia. It is the perfect time to hustle a good amount of animals for loads of money. Instead, though, I was going to be suffering in Bunnyburrows.

I've only been to the place once, but I was still a young kit and don't remember much about it. What I do remember was that it was a vast valley of fields and hills and a whole lot of nothing in-between. Then there's the things I've heard about it. Just about every animal except for rabbits were the minority. Obviously there were a couple of foxes since I have family down there; an Aunt, Uncle, and a few cousins. But I've heard just about everyone down there is a redneck, hick, or inbred. To say the least, I wasn't going to enjoy this.

I sighed and flipped over, grabbing my phone from my pocket. I decided it would be best to break the news to Finnick now rather then in person. Like I said, Finnick has a big temper, which is funny with how small he is. Anyway, I don't want to witness firstpaw his little tantrum he'd throw. This was going to set us back a ways, and we'd lose money. And it's not like we can't do it alone, it's just that it's not as effective as when we're together. Plus, there was this time where I got extremely sick and had to stay home, so Finnick tried doing it himself. He did his usual little kid thing and was doing ok, until a cop pulled him aside and asked if he needed any help. Now Finnick may look like a little kit, but his voice is deeper then Morgan Fleaman's. So he ended up running away from the cop and we decided not to do it alone. But with me going to be gone, I don't know if he'd still stay with the agreement.

I went to Finnicks name in my contact list and began to text him.

 _'Dude, got busted by my mom, she knows everything.'_

 _'WHAT? Shit man, that sucks. So what she gonna do to you?'_

 _'She's sending me to Bunnyburrow for the summer, won't be able to work with you.'_

My eyes widened a bit at the next text I got from him. There are a lot of words that I'm obligated not to say. I sighed and thought it be best if I leave it alone at that. I didn't want to sat anything else that might infuriate him more. I just hope he would be calm enough for me to talk to him tomorrow. It's hard to believe that I won't see the city for like three months. I've never been away that long, especially not to the middle of nowhere.

I closed my eyes, ready for some sleep. The only thing that was on my mind as I drifted to sleep was that this was going to suck.

 **Hello everyone, I am back with another possible story that I hope all you will enjoy. Depending on the feedback of this story I'll get another chapter out as soon as possible if people like it. If not then well... we'll see.**

 **Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **Keep on keeping on**

 **Peace Out**


	2. Highway to Hell

**So I got some good feedback on the first chapter, which I'm really glad for. I really like how this story sounds in my head and it makes it a whole lot easier to write when others like it as well. So thanks to everyone who commented, liked, and or followed and I hope you enjoy the second chapter.**

Well, it's actually happening. No matter what I said and how hard I tried to talk her out of it, she was sticking to her guns and forcing me to go to Bunnyburrows for the rest of the summer. I tried everything I could think of to get her to change her mind, but she just wasn't having any of it. To say I was annoyed would be a big understatement. I was absolutely fuming. I haven't said anything single word to her yet today. All its been is her forcing me up, hauling me downstairs, and throwing me in the car she was borrowing from a friend. The damn thing was uncomfortable as hell too; an old beaten up pickup with torn seats and a cracked windshield. The thing was barley even able to start when we left. To top it all off the air conditioning is broken as well, and it's hotter than hell out. I was propped up against the door with the window down trying not to get a heat stroke. Luckily, the radio worked so mom could listen to her music and there wasn't just an awkward silence looming over us. I would glance over at her occasionally only to see her looking blankly at the road. She gave no hint of discomfort, or satisfaction, or anything. I hate not knowing what's going on through people's heads. She's been like this since yesterday morning. All the times I tried to beg and plead with her she'd just give me a stern look and a hard 'no'.

As we drove, I thought back to the city, to all my friends, and all the memories I have there. I know I'll be back eventually, it just feels like I'm leaving forever. The city is all that I've known. I've only ever been out of it once but I was just a newborn kitt and remember nothing about it. I was actually a little anxious about all of this; for many reasons. First, like I said, I've never been outside of Zootopia. Zootopia is my comfort zone. I know most everything about that city and its a bit intimidating to be going to not only a new place, but a place that's the exact opposite from Zootopia.

The other reason why this sucks is because I'm not going to see any of my friends for the next two and a half months. No hanging out with them, no laughing at each other's misfortunes, and probably most importantly, no working. I met up with a couple of the guys yesterday including Finnick. I explained everything that was going down and they were not very pleased. Finnick almost lost it, his body clenchrd up along with his fists as anger seeped into his eyes; luckily we were in a crowded place so he didn't make a scene. Instead, he just went on a rant of how much money we were going to lose. He might not like admitting it, but he needs me and he knows it. So me not being there was just a bit infuriating for him.

The others that were there know what we do but honestly don't care. All of them being predators, they all have a sense of what it's like to be mistreated, so they just ignored Finnick and I whenever we started talking business. They just felt bad for me and made sure to express it; sometimes sincerely, and other times mockingly. Mostly it was the second one. I didn't mind it for the most part since I'd probably do the same thing to one of them, but every now and then I'd let out a little growl to let them know they were getting on my nerves all little. I spent most of yesterday just hanging out with them and having a great time: sharing laughs, messing around, pulling a couple pranks, but by the end of it I kind of wish I hadn't; it was making leaving them all that harder.

The final thing is that I'm going to be living with a bunch of relatives that are basically strangers to me. I've heard about them in conversation and have seen a few old picture, but other then that I have no idea who these foxes are. I'm going to be under their house and their rules for the next three months and that may be a problem depending on what they're like. It's all unknown to me and that scares me. Knowing things is what gives me the upper paw, but now I'm just left in the dark. I could already tell that this is just going to be a disaster.

I continued to stare out the window into the open fields of seemingly nothingness. We'd long since left the city, and from what I could tell we aren't very far from Bunnyburrow. The closer we got, the heavier the dread seemed to weigh down on me. It's been a long time since I've felt this hopeless with not having a clue of what to expect or to what I was going to do. I still was hoping that at any moment I was going to wake up and have a good laugh at the thought of me getting caught and then sent to the middle of nowhere, but I already knew this wasn't a dream and there is no escaping it. And at this point it is hopeless to expect any sort of miracle.

I suddenly caught motion in the corner of my eye and heard mom turn down the radio. It was silent after that for awhile. I didn't know what she was doing. Was she trying to make things more uncomfortable then they already are? Was she going to say something? I didn't dare look over at her, hoping that she just got sick of the country music that was playing since apparently that's the only station you can get out here. I didn't want to engage in any kind of conversation. I felt like I would say something that I'd regret.

My ear twitched at the sound of her sighing. "Nick?" She called over to me. I was half tempted to just try and ignore her, but I felt like that would just cause more problems for me. Instead, I gave a grunt of acknowledgement as I continued to stare out the window.

"I know you probably feel like this is the worst thing in the world, that literally anything would be better; but I promise you'll thank me in the future. Getting away from that city will prove to be good for you, just wait and see." She turned to me waiting for some sort of answer, but all I gave her was silence.

"Nicky, you've got to understand I'm doing this with the best intentions. My sister and her family are all very kind and Bunnyburrow is a very nice place. Like I said, this will be good for you; I just need to know you'll behave and not cause any trouble. Please, will you at least promise me that?" She pleaded. I honestly had no intentions of 'behaving' while I was trapped in this hell. Just to make mom happy, though, I gave her a nod and told her I'd be good, but in all honesty I was going to show Bunnyburrow a thing or two of how a sly fox works.

Mom thanked my warmly and repeated to me that I was going to like it here more than I thought. The only thing I could think about being nice would be not waking up to the sounds of traffic early in the morning, or being kept up all night by noisy neighbors. I expected that most of this summer was going to be spent with me sleeping half of it away. I was going to try and avoid any social contact with my relatives and especially anyone that I didn't know. Mom may think that she'll win by getting me to confirm to whatever it is she wants me to be, but the thing is I'm happy the way I am and I'm not going to change one bit. Nothing and no one was going to change me.

Eventually, I started to see signs of civilization. Every now and then I was able to see a house down a dirt road surrounded by fields. Some were small, others decently sized, and then there were the giant houses I could only guess belonged to some rabbit families. I mean what other animal out here would need that much space to live in; the buildings are huge. I don't think I'd ever actually met a rabbit before. I've seen a couple of them around the city and few times, but I've never had any at school nor have a ever had a conversation with one. I felt as if that would be nearly impossible here. I could probably hide in the room I was going to be given and I'd still somehow meet a little bunny.

I glanced over at mom every now and then and it seemed the closer we get to this place the happier she starts to get. I guess she kind of deserves to be happy about this. From what I know, mom hasn't seen her sister in a very long time; not since she brought me here as a kit about seventeen years ago. Sure they talked on the phone occasionally, but that's not the same as seeing each other in person. Also, it's been a couple of years since I've heard them talk. I'm actually really glad for her about this. After that one time we visited them, they've never seen each other again because we've just never had the money and mom said that her sister wasn't going to bring her family into the city. I honestly can't blame her; the city is definitely not for everyone. Other than that though, I was absolutely loathing mom right now.

I looked up and away from the window when I felt us start to slow down. I looked to the left and down a long dirt road I could see a moderately sized house. Sure enough, we turned down the road and began driving to the house. A feeling of angst came over me again as I realized that very soon I would be left here alone with these strange foxes. Mom had to leave because she still had to work her job. Fortunately, I'm good at hiding how I feel and they won't be any the wiser at how nervous I actually feel.

We pulled up and parked in a random spot in the front yard. Mom got out first and quickly started making her way towards the front door. I stayed in for a second and let out a deep sigh. Hopefully this wasn't going to be to bad. I happily got out of the old rust bucket truck and immediately stretched out my stiff muscles from the long car ride. After I got a few satisfying pops, I grabbed my stuff from the bed of the pickup,a backpack and a large duffle bag, then I followed mom over to the door. She had already knocked and waited excitedly for an answer. I just got to the door when it opened up and from behind it stepped what I could only guess to be my aunt. Wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The pictures back in the apartment were definitely old, because she looked nothing like that in person. She was a heavier set fox; not really obese, but definitely not skinny either. Still, she didn't look ugly though. She had nice shiny fur, puffy cheeks and a warm smile. She just looked welcoming and friendly. Also, you could definitely tell that she was they younger of the two. Age was starting to settle for mom as the gray hairs were starting to appear.

"Vicki!" My aunt Debra shouted happily. "Deb!" Mom responded, then proceeded to hug each other tightly. I stood back and watched awkwardly. It actually brought a small smile to my face. It has been a long time since I've seen mom this happy, and it was genuine happiness.

They pulled away and I saw mom with the biggest smile. "It's been way to long," Aunt Debra said. "Oh. You have no idea," Mom replied. It was easy to tell that she was getting all emotional from this. I couldn't really blame her though.

"I've really missed you, more then you could ever imagine," Mom told her. Aunt Debra gave her a warm smile. "I've missed you too," she stated. They continued talking for awhile and I took this time to take out my phone and check on a few things. Surprisingly, they had pretty decent service for being in the middle of nowhere. I checked my text messages and saw that a couple of they guys texted me, most of them still making fun of me for getting sent here for the summer; lucky bastards. If only I had been more careful then I wouldn't be in this situation. But there's nothing I can do about it now.

"So this must be the trouble maker," I was brought back to the two vixens talking as Aunt Debra said this jokingly. I gave a sly smile and a dramatic shrug. "Yep, that's me alright," I told her. Mom didn't looked all to pleased with how I was acting, but Debra didn't seem phased at all; she just kept her cheery smile on. Honestly, it was starting to become a little suspicious. What was she playing at? Was she acting all nice now, only to become a bitch from hell once mom leaves? It just seems so weird for her to be acting this nice. Its not a normal thing; at least not in the city.

"He really isn't that bad," Mom chimed in, "he's just made some bad choices is all." I can't necessarily disagree with that statement, though I do think my actions are justifiable. Like I've said, living in Zootopia you need to do anything you can to try and survive as a fox. Now I wouldn't go as far as to rob someone with a weapon or anything; the punishment for that is much worse then for the one on conning. Like mom said: I'm not a bad fox, I just do things that are labeled as bad to help her and myself.

"Well, you and I both know what one bad choice can lead to, unfortunately," Debra commented. Mom's ears fattened and a look of knowing fell over her. They might not think I know what they are talking about, but I most certainly do. And the fact that they are comparing me to my father is a bit irritable. I'm nothing, nor will I ever be, like that damned fox. I will never lay a paw on a female or a kit in any circumstances. I know what it feels like, and I know what hell it puts you through.

She invited us in eventually and led us through her house until we got to her living room. In there were three other foxes. My Uncle Tim who looked like he was tall and skinny, kind of like the exact opposite of Debra; and then my two cousins who I honestly know nothing about. Mom did talk to Aunt Debra a few times, but not many and she never really told me anything that they talk about. All I could see was that one was a boy and the other a girl. If I had to guess I'd say the boy is older and probably around 14, while the sister is 13.

When we entered the room, almost eyes turned on us and there was an eerie silence that followed. It is kind of awkward being in a room with nobody you know. But yet again, Debra did not seem phased. With that already familiar smile, she sparked up the conversation. Tim got up and walked over to mom, giving her a small hug and a few whispered words. I glanced around the house and was a little surprised at what I saw. I expected everything to be all low tech and old timey looking. Instead I get to see a pretty normal looking house that's similar to something you'd see in Zootopia's suburbs with almost all state of the art appliances. Nothing I actually expected. I was imagining a house you'd see in an old western film. Guess that's one thing I wrongly speculated about this place.

I immediately reached into my pocket and fished out my phone when I felt it vibrate; alerting me of a text. It's from Finnick.

" **You make it into Bunny Town Central yet?"** He questioned.

" **Ahh, checking in on me to make sure I'm alright? Aren't you just the best,"** I teased him.

" **Oh shut up. I just wanted to know if you're there."**

 **"Yah just got here. Meeting the family now. They seem okay so far, for the most part,"** I replied.

" **What, no weird things that they do?"**

 **"No, they all talk and dress just as if they were living in Zootopia,"** I told him.

" **Huh, figured they'd be wearing something like overalls and a straw hat while also talking with a thick redneck accent,"** he commented.

 **"I thought the same thing, but they all seem pretty normal. But I've still got a whole summer to either get hate them, or get them to hate me. Possibly both,"** I joked a little. Though, there was a little truth to those words.

" **How about actually trying to get on their good side. If your going to be with them all summer, you might as well try and get them to like you,** " He suggested. I guess he did have a point. It wouldn't be fun for any of us if I got on their bad side early. Probably should make good impressions with them if I don't want to suffer more then I'm already going to.

" **We'll see how everything goes. But I've got to go now, I can hear them starting to talk about me."**

I looked up when I heard my named being said. Everyone was looking at me expectantly making me guess that they had said something to me and I hadn't heard it.

"Sorry," I told them. "Just texting a friend. He's a bit over protective of me," I said with a little smirk, knowing Finnick would flip out if he heard me say that.

"Not a problem," Tim said. "Just wondering if you're looking forward to staying here for the summer?" Now here's where I can go one of two directions. Either I be sarcastic and have the chance of them not liking it to much, or I could take the nice approach. I decided it would be best to take Finnicks advice.

"Can't say I'm fully on board with this, I did have plans back at home; but I might as well try and enjoy it," I told him. He glanced me over a couple of times after I said that, then gave a little nod. I honestly don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Foxes are the one animal that are nearly impossible to read. Unless they are beyond stupid, reading an adult foxes intentions or emotions is damn near impossible. So I have no idea weather that was an approving nod, or a nod of him realizing I was going to be a problem. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how he treats me.

He looked over to his kids, pointed at the boy and motioned for him to come over. "Robin, I want you to go and show Nickolas to his room so he can get all settled in," he told him. I felt a little pang of annoyance when Tim called me Nickolas. I only let mom call me that. It just doesn't feel right when others use it. But I let it slide, he doesn't know that and I can't expect him to.

I turned and started walking with my cousin that I now knew as Robin. It was obvious by how he was acting that he was a little nervous. Probably because I was the 'bad' fox coming from the city. I wonder if he's even met anyone from the city before. It sure doesn't seem like it with how he's acting. So it was mostly silent as he led me to my room for the summer. We walked down a long hallway, then up some stairs, turned right and went into the second door and the right. Again, I was surprised as I walked into the room and saw how big the room is. Definitely much larger than mine back in the apartment.

"Well, here we are," Robin said. As we were walking up, I got to see what he looked like. Even though he was younger then me, he was almost as tall as me; probably only an inch shorter than me. We shared the green eyes, probably both getting it from our moms' side of the family.

"Thanks," I said, throwing my stuff off to the side. I spotted the bed and immediately dropped onto it. I let out a content sigh as I lied on the comfy bed which is way better then the piece of junk truck. I thought that I had been left alone, but was proved wrong when Robin spoke up.

"Why are you guys visiting now?" He asked. "I've never seen either of you in my fifteen years of life and now you just come out of nowhere. What's that all about? Sorry if this sounds rude, it's just a question that's been running through my head for the past few days."

I layed back again, put my paws behind my head, and closed my eyes, trying to become as relaxed as possible. "It's because I'm a trouble maker, according to my mother, and she thinks coming up here for the summer will somehow give me a life changing experience or something like that."

There was nothing but silence from him for awhile. Eventually he went 'hmm' then I heard him walk away. I opened up one of my eyes to see if he was really gone and I didn't see him at all. The kid seems pretty nice. A little too nice if you ask me, but I won't hold that against him. He was born and raised in a much different environment from me. He probably hasn't faced what I've had to go through. By the looks of it, these foxes get along pretty well. Which makes me wonder why mom and I have been living off the bare necessities and not getting help from them. I thought about that for a second and came to an easy conclusion; mom's never liked taking in hand outs. Even though she took the money I have her, she was kind of forced to. She would have never asked for money, and she would have denied the help if it was offered. She was very prideful when it came to stuff like that. Unfortunately, that made it harder for us to live.

Speaking of money, I have already been thinking of ways to earn some extra cash. This, I'm guessing, is an untapped area and I'm planning on getting as much as I call fill up on. There's got to be a couple suckers out here who will fall for my little tricks; there always are.

Right now, though, I feel extremely exhausted and feel like I could pass out at any moment. Sleep didn't come easily last night; I was up for most of it not being able to stop thinking about what it was going to be like here. So far, it's not so bad, but I've still got a whole summer to go. I let out a big yawn and decided that I was going to take a nap right now. I could worry about everything else when I'm not so tired. I hope that I just sleep for the rest of the day and avoid any more conversation with my family for now. Finally my eyes started to sag beyond the point of being able to open again. I was nearly asleep when there was a sudden shout of my name. I jolted up from the bed and looked around in a small state of panic; until I realized it was just my mom shouting to me. A groan of protest escaped me, my body not wanting to move at all.

"What?" I moaned out in annoyance. I was just about to fall asleep and now I'm being yelled at for something. Hopefully she's just shouting for me to come down, because I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything wrong yet.

"Get down here now, please," she yelled, luckily not in an angry tone. That's good, I haven't pissed off my mother yet on this trip. But hey, it's only noon; I still have an entire day until she leaves tonight. Not that it's my goal to do this, it just tends to happen sometimes.

I pulled myself out from the bed and slothfuly made my way back downstairs. I went back into the room where we first went to and found everyone circled around the table and could hear mom talking up a storm. This was the most I had ever heard her talk, and she was happy as she did it. It's kind of sad that shes only able to stay here for a day. I slumped down at one of the open chairs and waited for mom to stop speaking so she can tell me whatever it is she wanted to. I didn't pay much attention to what she was saying, I think I heard my name mentioned once or twice but I was just to tired to care. I was zoned out staring blankly at a wall wondering how great it would be to be sleeping right now.

"Nick," I heard mom call to me, making me lazily turn my head towards them.

"Aunt Debra had the great idea for you kids to go to town and hang out around there and get to know each other while we stay here and catch up on a few things," Now she might have stated it like it was a suggestion, but I've been living with her for far to long to know that she was ordering me to do this and if I didn't then there would be some sort of consequence.

I nodded my head and said I'd love too, though I'm pretty sure everyone caught on to my sarcasm. Before I was able to get up a bright idea popped into my mind and a small smile crept up to my lips. This could be the perfect opportunity. I jumped up from my seat, having some newly found energy, and smiled brightly at the family. "I'll meet y'all out front, I've got to grab something from upstairs," I told them, rushing up to my new room to grab some stuff.

I got to the room and rummaged through my duffle bag until I came upon what I consider perfect for what I'm going to do. I put the stuff into my backpack and swung that onto my back as I rushed downstairs and outside. Today is about to get a whole lot more interesting and fun.

 **Well, there you have it. Chapter two complete. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Sorry for the long delay on this. Got a lot of things going on that makes it a bit difficult to work on my stories.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and I always appreciate a comment, favorite, and or follow.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	3. Another Day Another Hustle

"Wait a second, how old are you again?"

"15, why?" Robin answered innocently.

"And you're allowed to drive?" We had left from their house about five minutes ago, and I just barely noticed that Robin was driving when he clearly wasn't old enough. This took me a bit by surprise since the legal driving age is 18, at least it is in Zootopia. I guess I don't know the law out here, but I wouldn't think that they'd be allowed to drive at 15. Hell, I'm 17 and I still don't even have my learners permit. Not to mention my mom would kill me if she knew I even took a seat behind a steering wheel. She isn't that big of a fan on driving. She prefers it if we wall everywhere or take public transportation. The only reason why we drove to Bunnyburrow is because we don't have the money to take a train and mom's friend let us borrow that truck for free.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say I'm allowed to drive, it's just that no one really cares around here. Everyone does it anyways," he explained. I guess that makes a lot of since, especially to me I do a lot of things that I'm not supposed to do, but since no one seems to care I do it anyways. Kind of like J-walking.

"So you're saying everyone here drives?"

He bobbed his head from side to side in an 'eh' like manner. "Not really everyone. Usually only those who live far out of town and have done it for a long time. I've been doing this since I was like 6, just driving around our property. It's only actually been recently that I've been able to drive to town. My parents finally trust me again after the accident." He chuckled. His sister, who I still don't actually know the name of, giggled too. That's actually the first I've heard of anything from her. I'd have to get back to her, but I am actually curious as to what this accident is. I questioned him about it and he got embarrassed as pressed his ears down on his head.

"A year or so ago I was driving back from a friend who lives near by, but still far enough that driving was easier, and I was rocking out to my music and I stopped paying attention to the road and crashed the truck right into the fence around our property. Mom was furious, but dad and her found it absolutely hilarious. I wasn't allowed to drive at all for awhile after that, and I spent the next couple weeks redoing the fence. It wasn't a very fun experience, but I guess in hindsight it is pretty funny." I had to admit, the story did bring a little smile to my face. I could only imagine the look on his face when he went crashing through the fence. I would pay to see that.

After that fun little tale, there was silence mixed with a bit of country music; not a big fan of the music choice honestly. In the silence, I kept looking in the rear view mirror into the backseat where my other cousin was sitting. Still have no idea what her name is, but I'm sure I'll find out eventually. It seems like she's not the one to talk much, since I haven't heard anything from her at all since I got here about an hour ago. She mostly just looked at her phone and tapped away at it. So far these two haven't seemed so bad. At least not yet. I still have quite awhile to get to know them and see if I actually like them or not. They could turn out to be total assholes, or just mammals I wouldn't like to be around. It could also be the complete opposite where I actually do like them. I can't be sure just yet.

I continued to glance back at her, and I'm pretty sure she knows I've been looking at her. Not that I really care. I'm just trying get to get a good look at her. I like to get to know how people look and how they act. She was definitely shorter then everyone in the family and had blue eyes which I'm guessing she got from her dad. She also wasn't that bad looking. She didn't actually dress like she was trying to impress anyone; just wearing jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, but she just kind of had a natural beauty to her. Not trying to be creepy at all, I mean, even if I am her cousin I can't deny that she looks good. I'm not blind.

"So are you just going to keep looking at Christy or what. It's getting good kind of awkward," Robin stated. I just explained to them that it's something I do with everyone. I just memorize everyone I meet by their looks and their personality. I probably know half of Zootopia just by how the animal looks, and I know most of them by name. Of course I should mention that most of these mammals aren't from the best of crowds, but I don't need to tell them that.

"Pretty impressive, but still weird," Christy finally spoke out. I gave a small shrug and told them I just make it my business to get to know everyone. I just have a good feeling that it'll be very helpful someday. Knowing someone might get me out of a tight situation.

Right as the conversation ended, Robin exclaimed that we were here. He drove to the nearest place where we could park which was in a little back alleyway that had a couple other cars parked there. When we exited the car I couldn't help but be a little awestruck at the sheer size of this place. I honestly didn't not expect it to be this large of a town. Obviously it was nowhere near the size of Zootopia, but it was still bigger then I thought the 'small town' would be. There were still dozens of buildings that ranged anywhere from one to five stories high. Then there were the sheer amount of mammals. The streets were packed with animals going about their daily business; as expected, most of them are indeed rabbits. They are like a literal sea of fluff flooding the streets. It's no wonder why they don't let you take vehicles past a certain point.

"So I'm not sure exactly what we're supposed to do, I think mom just sent us here to get rid of us..." Robin was interrupted when his phone buzzed. He looked at it and rolled his eyes after he read it. "I take that back, mom just sent me a grocery list about a mile long," he sighed. " she's going to have to pay me back," he grumbled, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

"Well doesn't that just sound fun," I said sarcastically. Both nodded in agreement. I was actually getting along quite nicely with these two for the most part. I don't have any problems with them yet, and I don't think I've given either of them a reason to dislike me; except for maybe when I stared at Christy, but I already explained my reasoning behind that. Anyway, I had no intentions on going with them on their little shopping spree. I needed to get away from them and get to a place where they wouldn't look for me. It was as we were walking through the crowds that an idea popped into my mind.

As we walked through the sea of bunnies, I waited for a larger animal to make their way by. I almost didn't think I was going to get away since we were almost to the store Robin said we were heading to. Luckily at the last moment, a large bull passed by us and that's when I took my opportunity to get away. I had slowly been lagging behind more and more to distance myself from the two and when the bull came by I changed my direction and walked with him without either of the two noticing. I smiled as I made my little escape and began to make a plan for what I was going to do. The more and more I thought, the easier it was to pick out what it is I am going to do today.

When I knew I was far out of the sight of the others and I was positive they weren't going to find me, I stepped away from the bull with a victory smile. I don't know why, but being sneaky is just so fun for me, it just gives me such a thrill that most things don't. The only other thing that could compare was the point of a scam or hustle when you know the animal or animals believe one hundred percent of what youre telling them. Thats usually when the best business and most money comes in. I figured that a place like this would be full of charitable and gullible mammals.

I walked along the sidewalk until I came upon just what I needed, an alleyway for me to change into my little costume. If mom wasn't going to give me money, I was definitely going to make my own. Going into the alley, I walked until I found some junk that I could step behind that hid me from anyone passing by. I took off my backpack and began rummaging through all the different sets of cloths; I was looking for a certain outfit that would definitely get me some attention. It was one the Finnick and I would wear often, especially since he looks so much like a little kit. I smiled as I pulled out a ripped up and dirty shirt, along with some pants with holes in them. Just what I was looking for.

I quickly changed my clothes and started mentally preparing myself. For this little charades, I'd be acting like a fox who just got mugged, hence the torn cloths. I ruffled up my fur a bit to try and better sell the look. My story would be I was on my way to get my mom a gift and took a wrong turn into a alley that led to a dead end. When I tried to backtrack myself I got mugged by a couple of large animals. I beg for some money and usually animals are pretty generous; that is if they aren't speciest towards foxes and laugh as they walk away, telling us we deserve it. But other than that it works pretty well. The only downside is when they try and call the cops, in which I usually abort. Sometimes I'm able to talk them out of involving the Police, but in hopeless cases I'm forced to just kind of book it away from there and hope they never see me again.

I pulled out my phone and checked myself out using the front facing camera to make sure I looked convincing enough for someone to give me some money. I looked myself up and down, smiling at my handy work with my little makeover. It always was fun getting into character, and something I found myself really good at. Now that I felt that my appearance was perfect, it is time to get some money.

I slowly limped out from the alley and back onto the main sidewalk, giving my best impersonation for someone who is hurt and in need of help. Now all I had to do was wait for someone to fall for the bait and take a little pity on me. Unfortunately, things might be a little tougher then I first anticipated. Ten minutes past and all I would get were glares and maybe a few concerned looks. Other then that though, everyone kind of just walked by me. Usually someone would have stopped by now. I might have to change over to plan B, and actually start begging from people.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright."

A small smile flashed across my face for a split second, my mood immediately brightening. Someone had taken the bait. I composed myself back into character and slowly looked behind me to see who was talking to me. It was kind of hard at first trying to find who it was that was talking to me, considering I was looking for a larger animal, but when I did find who spoke to me I have to say I was a little surprised.

I turned around expecting to come face to face, or have to look up at someone; instead I ended up looking down at the last animal I expected to show any type of sympathy for me. A rabbit girl that was probably close to my age looked up at me with concern. I was shocked for a second, but eventually composed myself.

"N-no, not really," I stuttered out, trying to make myself seem terrified. I watched her carefully, making sure she wasn't trying to pull a fast one in me. Though, bunnies aren't really known for being very clever, at least most of them aren't. I mean, I don't know many back in Zootopia, but the ones I do know are complete morons. Still, there's just something about her that makes me a little nervous.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," I told her as I scratched the back of my head. "All I remember is taking a wrong turn and trying to backtrack myself through an alley then I just got jumped. Everything else after that is all a blur." My worry for her not falling or this quickly faded as I watched the emotions on her face. Sympathy and a bit of anger swelled up in her. She did not look at all pleased with my situation.

"Did you get a clear look at either of them?" She asked. A bit of curiosity arose in me as I wondered why she would need to know. Most either just asked if I needed anything then gave it to me, or said they were going to call the police. But she seemed genuinely interested in wanting to know who my 'attackers' were. I just shook my head, though, since there were no attackers.

"Sorry, I didn't. Even if I did, like I said I don't remember much of anything," She looked a bit disappointed hen I told her that.

"No worries. I'm just glad it wasn't worse for you. It's weird though, this is kind of a first. Most animals don't get robbed in the middle of the day; it's usually at night." Now I was starting to get bored with her presence. It's like she was trying to solve a case or something and it was getting annoying. I just need some money.

She looked to be deep in thought for a moment, but must have realized that I was still here and turned her attention back towards me. "Sorry, I spaced out there for awhile. Do you need anything? Can I help you go somewhere, or call someone?" She asked trying get to be as helpful as possible. She's actually one of the nicest of the mammals that I tend to run into. It's a bit unfortunate that I'll be scamming her out of her money.

"Well actually, they took all my money, and I bet you can tell that I'm not from around here," she nodded her head, telling me it was kind of obvious. "My mom and I are visiting and it's her birthday so I wanted to get her something nice. I was looking for a store and, like I said, took the wrong turn and ended up getting jumped." If I was smiling, it would be the biggest grin ever The more and more I talked the more sympathetic she looked for me. Such a gullible and dumb little bunny. Her kind should know more then most to never trust a fox. It seems she didn't quite get the memo.

"How much was stolen?" She asked. I was going to say something, but restrained myself. I clutched my arm to make it look like I felt uncomfortable with taking anything from her, when in reality I was wondering if I should take a gamble with this one. She seems so eager to help and it might be easy to get a little extra out of her; of course, on the other paw, I might strike out and she'll just kind of leave me here. I thought about it for awhile, but eventually came up with a solution.

"250 dollars. That's how much they stole from me. I've been saving up for months to get my mom something for her birthday, but now it's all gone." I sighed defeated. "I should probably get back to her and tell her what's happened. Thanks for checking on me, that was very kind of you." I gloomily started walking away, making my steps seem long and heavy to complete the effect and try and make her as sorry for me as possible. Sympathy is a powerful thing, and if you use it right you can get anything. I only took three steps when I heard her call to me. I flashed a smile for a spit second before I turned to face her.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out," and there is the catch. I set the bait, she took it and now I have reeled her in. Now she's about to give me 250 dollars which is by far the most money I've ever gotten from a single animal. She led me over towards a ATM, which I didn't know they would have around here. Seriously, my whole perception on how animals out here live is changing. Still pretty sure most of them are inbred.

She withdrew all the cash I asked for and handed it over to me with a smile, like she was actually helping someone in great need. I am literally on the verge of laughing at how gullible this damned rabbit is. Instantly I could tell she's just some animal who thinks that everyone is good in the world, that nobody would ever try to trick her after being so helpful. It's fools like her that give me such a large income.

"I really appreciate this, honestly," I lied to her, making myself look like I'm on the verge on tears. She gave me a warm smile and told me that I am very welcome. She asked me if there was anything else that she could do to help me. I thought about if I should use my luck ever further and try to get something more, but decided that I was good with what I got. You got to be smart enough to know when to stop and I realize the smartest choice is to stop now.

"Again, I can't thank you enough for all of this," I told her.

"It's nothing really, I'm just glad you're OK. The names Judy, by the way, Judy Hopps." I took her paw into mine and shook it.

"Nick Wilde," I replied back to her. It was only seconds after I said that when I realized my mistake. You never, ever, give out your real name to the people you scam. That's just makes it a hundred times easier to track it back to me if they ever find out what I did to them. Since I'm staying the whole summer here I have a feeling I might run into her again and that's going to be an awkward situation if anyone from my family is there and she starts talking about all this. I'd probably get into some deep shit. I guess there's nothing I can do about it now, I'll just have to go with it and deal with the consequences later.

"It was really nice to meet you Judy, but I should really be getting back to what I was doing now. I don't want to be gone for too long or my mom will start freaking out," I chuckled, getting a small giggled from her.

"Well, goodbye then Nick," she said .

"See you later Judy," I replied as I turned around and began making my way back to Robin and Christy. I'm so glad that I was able to meet this 'Judy Hopps'; it made my day so much easier. Usually, it takes me nearly all day just to collect two-hundred dollars, but then she come along and give me more than enough money for the day. I hope all the rabbits here are like that, it would make life so much easier. I Walked down the side walk a little, then turned around to make sure Judy was out of sight. Sure enough I saw no trace of her. I walked back to the alley and grabbed all my stuff and changed back into my normal cloths.

I spent the next half hour just trying to locate my cousins again. You'd think in a small place like this it wouldn't be to difficult or find them. Yet, the swarms of animals walking the streets proved otherwise. I started by going to the grocery store to see if hey were still there, but had no luck. After that I had no idea where they were planning to go, so I just walked aimlessly round until I heard my name being shouted. I perked my ears up and sure enough it was the sound of Robin calling out to me. I followed he noise until I found the on the sidewalk looking kind of irritated. Walking up to them with a smile they eventually noticed me and glared me down.

"Where the hell have you been?" Robin nearly shouted. Wow, he really sounds pissed. Meh, that's his problem.

"I fell behind a bit and got lost in the crowd. Honestly, this place is a lot harder to navigate then I first anticipated," really it's not, it's just the animals that make it hard, "And when I finally made it to the store, you guys weren't there. So I had to walk around without a clue of where I was going to try and find you two," I explained to them; although all of it was a lie, but they didn't seem to think that it was. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's making myself seem innocent.

They calmed down and shook there heads. "Damn tourist," Robin joked. We all laughed at it because they was kind of funny. "Well come on then, mom wants us to get back home with the groceries of she can start up dinner." I gestured for him to lead on and off we went.

A few pointless conversations later and we were back at the house. We walked into the house and made our way to the kitchen. When we got there they asked us what took so long. Robin told them that I had gotten lost in the crowd, which they seemed to all find amusing. Mom even laughed, but I could tell she was suspicious. It's obvious why too; she knows I'm great with directions, and I've been weaving through crowds of animals nearly my whole life. So it's easy to know why she thinks I'm lying. Hopefully she'd just forget about it and not bring it up again. I'm a master at hiding the truth from others, but mom just knows me all of well.

I let out a large yawn and felt the fatigue from lack of sleep come back to me. I really need a nap and this is the perfect time to do that. with another yawn, I told everyone I was going to take a small nap upstairs and I'd appreciate for someone to wake me up when dinner is ready. Aunt Debra said she'd send up Robin or Christy or come and get me. I thanked them and walked away to my room.

I crashed down onto the comfortable mattress and sighed with content. Finally, I'd get a little rest. Funny thing though; as I was trying to fall asleep my mind went back to that bunny I met today. Judy definitely seemed different, especially or someone of her species, and every time I would think of her a inking feeling came over me. Usually when I think about rabbits I think of stupid, small, scared little fluff balls who's only purposes in life are to have Hildreth and farm for the rest of the world. But something seemed different about her and I just couldn't shake the feeling that I would be seeing more of her in the future. I shrugged it off and pushed those thoughts aside making me relax so I could get some sleep. It only took a couple minutes until I was passed out.

 **And there you go, the next chapter of this hopefully ongoing series. I know some of you are happy with the introduction of Judy, and though she only made a slight appearance in this chapter you need not worry for there will be plenty more of her in the future.**

 **I apologize or such the long waits on these chapters, I just don't tend to have much time to write with everything that's going on right now. I'll try and be faster on getting them out but I can't make any promises.**

 **Always, thanks to all of you who favorited, followed, and commented, and remember I always appreciate more. Thanks for reading.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	4. Unexpected Guest

I felt like I hadn't been asleep for five minutes before being shaken awake. I bared my teeth in annoyance and groaned as I pulled a pillow over my face, telling whoever was shaking me to go away; but they were persistent in trying to get me to wake up, unfortunately. They called my name and jerked me around more violently. At first I thought it was Robin trying to get me up for dinner; which in fact I could smell from here and it smells delicious, but I soon realized the voice didn't belong to him. In fact it was a voice I didn't recognize at all. I may have only been here for a short period of time, but I'm good at memorizing certain things about animals including their voices. This was someone new and different that I haven't heard yet. Thing is, mom only told me I had two cousins. So who the hell is trying to wake me up right now.

I quickly flipped around in the bed and came face to face with a dark furred, hazel eyed animal. No one in this family matches that description. My eyes widened with fear as I screamed in fright and scooted my body up against the headboard of the bed. Fear and confusion circled around in my head as I tried to figure out the situation I was in. It didn't help that I was still a bit disorientated from being ripped from my sleep. The animal took a step back in surprise from my reaction and just stared at me with an amused smile. When I got a full look of him I became even more frightened. A large black wolf was standing in the middle of my room with his paws in his pockets as he stared at me, clearly entertained. There were definitely some words that I wanted to say, and I was about to, until I heard laughing coming from outside in the hallway. I snapped my head over to the door and saw Robin and Uncle Tim standing there laughing their tails off. It took me a second to comprehended what was going on, but once I realized what was happening I calmed down and frowned. I furrowed my eye brows and pinned my ears back in annoyance from their little practical joke. Now don't get me wrong, I love pulling pranks on others and have definitely had a fair amount against me; but when I'm sleeping is when I get a little mad. It takes some true evil to do that to a sleeping animal.

"Har har har," I expressed unamused. It was obvious from my continuous glare that I am just a little grumpy from being pulled out of my nap. The others definitely noticed this and thought it to be even more funny. Aside from the ever growing pit of anger that was swelling inside of me, the only thing on my mind was wondering who in the hell this wolf is.

"Oh come on Nick, can't you take a joke?" Robin laughed. I glared back over at him with death in my eyes and for a split second I could see the fear spread across his face before he went back to laughing. Good, he's scared of me.

"Not at the expense of sleep," I grumbled.

"Well you needed to get up anyway, dinners waiting for you," Tim said. I said okay and told him I'd be down soon. Then I nicely asked for everyone to get out. With final chuckles, they all left me alone. I groaned and grumbled a few things as I sat in that bed, not really wanting to leave the comfort of it. It wasn't until I smelt the food again that I decided it would be worth it to get up. I hoisted myself out of the bed and started walking downstairs towards the kitchen.

I still can't really get over why there is a wolf here. All I could think of really is that it's a family friend. The only thing, though, is that he looks much to old to be friends with either Robin or Christy; but at the same time he looks way to young to be friends with Tim or Debra. He's probably anywhere from nineteen to twenty-five. So like I said, the reason why he's here is beyond me. Of course it honestly is none of my business, other than they decided to use him to scare the shit out of me. Still, I bet I'm going to find out who he is eventually. Either they are just going to tell me or I'm going to ask.

I couldn't wait to try out whatever Aunt Debra cooked, because it is honestly one of the best thing I have ever smelled in my entire life. Plus I haven't really eaten anything since this morning so I am starving and need to eat something. I hurried my way down the stairs and into the kitchen eager to eat whatever was prepared. I was going to dig in immediately but was cut off when mom slapped my wrists and told me not to be rude. I frowned at her and crossed my arms, waiting to be served this heavenly smelling food. Finally, I got a scoop of whatever this stuff is. I licked my chops and began to dig in. I couldn't tell what was in it, but it is probably the best thing I have ever tasted. Far better than the microwave dinners and takeout I usually have. I don't even remember the last time I had a homemade meal. Mom is usually off working and doesn't have time to ever cook; so to have something home cooked is a real treat. I could tell that mom was enjoying it as well.

We sat at the table and I was enjoying my food, but I couldn't help but keep glancing over towards the wolf. It seems they are all having a great time with him here, so it's obvious they've probably known him for awhile. They have still yet to actually introduce him to me. I'm a very curious fox and like to know things. Being left to in the dark is not something that happens often for me. I usually find out what I want to know one way or another. Luckily though, I'm pretty sure I won't have to use that extreme of measures to get information from these people. All I have to do is ask and I'm sure they'll just tell me.

"So Nick, sounded like McCabe gave you quite the scare," Mom chuckled out. I gave little eye roll and nodded my head. I won't deny that waking up to a wolf only inches away from you is a pretty scary thing. I know plenty of wolves in Zootopia and most of them are sketchy individuals. At least I know his name now. I've never even heard someone named McCabe, which is weird considering all the animals I know. I Guess it's just not a very common name.

"Yeah, they got me good I'll give them that," I said before taking another bite of food. Honestly this stuff is so delicious. "But just know I believe in getting even," I told hem with an evil grin. I'm the type of animal that believes in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth no matter how small it is. I will get my payback on these guys and they won't know what hit them.

"Just so long as I'm not a target, that's fine," Aunt Debra pointed at me. I guaranteed her that she wouldn't be targeted in anyway. I mean, there is always a chance of collateral damage, but I don't need to tell her that. If she does get hit I'll just face the consequences like I usually do when I get myself some payback. I was already planning stuff out in my head of how it would go. Oh the possibilities. Anyway, getting away from the topic of how I will seek vengeance on my family members, I kind of want to get to the subject of McCabe. I think I'll find it interesting in why he's here all of a sudden.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's he doing here?" I questioned politely pointing over to McCabe.

"He's just visiting. It's been a while since he was here and he felt like coming back to visit," Debra explained to me, which only brought up more questions. They must of seen the confused look on my face and looked equally confused. They were confused about me being confused which tells me I'm missing some important information here. I looked over to mom for an answer, knowing that she'd probably shed some light on the situation.

"Do you not know who this is?" Mom asked. I told her that's why I was asking why he is here. I just want to know if he's some sort of family friend or something along those lines. It's really no big deal, I'm just curious and would like to know. I wasn't expecting them to be so serious.

"Did you never tell him?" Debra asked mom. Again, more questions were raising in my mind as to what I was missing here. Obviously it's something pretty big since they expect me to know exactly who this is supposed to be. Mom scratched her head as she was visibly thinking. She said that it was entirely possible hat she never mentioned McCabe around me. Which is a hundred percent true since this is the first I'm ever hearing about this wolf. Mom said that she's just always so busy and we hardly see each other as it is so it just never came up. That's a very logical point about us.

Even if mom didn't work as much as she used to she still works long shifts that start early in the morning and end late at night. Having that plus me being in school and doing all my 'extra curricular' activities. That left little time for mom and I to have any sort of in depth conversations about anything. Most of our talks consisted of her asking how school was, me telling her it was fine, then we'd go into something meaningless. It was a rarity for us to go into any sort of deep talks.

"Okay, since your mom somehow forgot to mention who McCabe is; he's mine and Tim's adopted son." Now there's typically not many thing that catch me off guard, but this definitely came as a shocker to me. I stared wide eyed at them, almost expecting it to be another joke of some sorts but I could tell they were being truthful. Now that I think of it, it is kind of weird how this never came up between mom and I. Even if we never talk all that much, this is still a pretty big thing. Of course, why would she bother telling me about him if she barely spoke about these animals period. So I guess it's not really that much of a surprise.

"That's unexpected. Never thought a family of foxes would take in a wolf," I commented.

"Neither did I," I heard McCabe laugh. "Especially with the way I was when they adopted me." I looked at him with curiosity, wondering what he meant. I looked back over to Debra and Tim to see if I'd get an answer from them but they just kind of smiled softly.

"Yah, but we don't need to bring up the past. That was a long time ago," Debra said. McCabe shrugged and said it didn't really bother him as much as it used to. He said it puts his new life in perspective and how great he has it. So what I'm getting from this is McCabe has a troubled past and somehow this family helped him out and turned his life around. Kind of sounds familiar if you ask me.

I gave a slight glance over at mom. She was looking down at her plate still eating. I think I know why she chose this place to leave me. She expects for whatever happened to McCabe to happen to me. I couldn't help but inwardly laugh. She is hoping so much that staying here will give me a life changing experience, but she is so sadly mistaken. I don't even know why she cares so much anyways. In a year or so I'll be out of her fur and on my own so I'll never bother her again with my schemes. Besides, it's not like what I'm doing is all that bad. Animals waste their money on way worse things. At least with this I'm helping us to survive. By the end of this mom's going to see how pointless all of this was.

"So McCabe, you still with that one girl?" Debra asked. And that's where I depart from the conversation. I hate when people talk about their relationships, too dramatic for my taste. So I looked down at my phone and started browsing through random things. Eventually I decided to text Finnick and see if he survived the day without me.

 **"You still alive over there without me,"** I teased him.

 **"I swear if this is a recurring thing then I'm going to kill you when you get back here,"** he threatened me. I can't help but chuckle whenever he does threaten me; not because he can't do it, because I know he can, it's just that he won't. At least I hope not. I definitely don't want to see the day he goes full savage on me.

" **Nah, you love me too much to kill me.** "

 **"Don't think yourself so high, Wilde."** I don't even have to be next to him and I know he's glaring at his phone, growling at me. It's so fun getting him mad.

" **Anyway, do anything 'productive' today?"** I asked him.

 **"Of course not. It's nearly impossible of do anything without you here."**

 **"Awwww, you do need me,"** I silently snickered to myself.

There was a long wait until the next text. He was probably throwing a little tantrum. " **That's it, I'm coming down there and beating you to death."**

 **"Of course you are,"** I responded. **"Anyways, I was able to do some business today."**

 **"Really? What'd you get, some carrots."** I rolled my eyes. Finnick never was the best when it came to jokes. Example number one being that terrible attempt at trying to be funny.

" **You're a real comedian, really. No, I got two hundred dollars off a dumb little bunny."** There was another long pause and I could only imagine what he was thinking. He probably thinks that I'm lying.

" **...you can't be serious."**

 **"As serious as I can get. Cute little thing was so eager to help me. Shows what kindness actually gets you."** I told him

" **True that."**

"Who yah texting there?" I looked up when I heard the sound of my aunts voice speak to me. I saw that everyone was looking at me, which seems to be happening a lot for some reason. I guess I'm just that interesting of an animal. Or maybe I just have something in my fur.

I quickly texted Finnick that I had to go and put my phone away. "Just a friend," I responded to her.

"Let me guess, Finnick?" Mom questioned unhappily. Wow, it's like she can read my mind; that and he's like the only person I ever text. She really doesn't like him to be completely honest. She's only met him on a few occasions and every time she acts as if he isn't even there. She explains to me after that she just doesn't Ike the vibe she gets from him. She says that he's a bad influence on me. Which may have been true a few years back, but I'm pretty sure I'm the bad influence now.

"Finnick? Isn't that the fox that was with Nick when you caught him?" Debra asked. Mom nodded, clearly annoyed that the conversation had turned towards this subject. I think she just wants this to all go away, but I can assure her that it won't. It's too good of a way to make easy money. Especially when there are bunnies like that one today. Honestly I don't even remember her name. Jenny might have been it. "Must be a close friend if you trust him with doing that," she pointed out. I shrugged; we are pretty close. The others, other than Tim, were looking at us confused by the conversation.

"We've had each other's backs since middle school. Don't expect things to change much in the future," I emphasized, looking over at mom making sure she heard me. I wanted to make it a point to her that what she as doing to me is pointless. I'm trying to get back at her as much as possible before she leaves for abandoning me here in a place I'm not used to. She glared at me as if telling me not to start now. I really wanted to and am very tempted to get in a heated argument with her; but I don't want to do it in front of everyone else. They don't need to hear me and mom bickering. Besides, she's probably going to have an emotionally hard enough time trying to leave this place. I don't need to add anything, so I decided to back off. I was actually getting a little annoyed from having my friendship questioned. They have no idea what Finnick and I have been through together. We are a lot better friends then he would like to admit. Hence the reason he got so defensive when I teased him about checking up on me. Anyway, I was annoyed and didn't feel like being questioned anymore.

I thanked Debra for the delicious meal, got up from the table, walked my plate over into the kitchen and put it in the sink. I thought about going back upstairs and going back to bed, but I'm not really tired anymore. Instead, I decided to go outside and see if I couldn't relax. That's the one good thing I've heard about out here is that it's actually quite peaceful. Whereas is the city, no matter where you go and when you go there it's going to be loud as hell. Some peace and quiet would be good for me right now, because I'm definitely still pissed off about being here and mom was just causing me to become more flustered with her continuous reminders of why I was here. I just needed to be away from her and everyone else right now before I say some things that no one will like and I'll probably regret later.

I took the backdoor so I didn't have to walk back through the dinning room. The sun had already set so I am walking through the cool night. I didn't know where I was going to go, I just need it to be a little ways away from the house and for it to be quiet. I looked down at my phone to check the time, seeing that it is 8:30. So I don't want to be too far away because mom's going to leave soon and she won't go unless I tell her goodbye no matter how upset she is with me. So I decided to walk about a hundred feet out from the house to a nice patch of grass. I lied down and put my arms behind my head as I looked up into the starry night sky. I do have to admit, this did make me feel tranquil and make me somewhat relaxed. I took some deep breaths to calm myself down from the stressful day. Everything that has happened today has agitated me in some way, except for when I scammed that dumb bunny, so it's nice to ease my mind.

I don't know what it is about looking up into the night sky that just calms me, but I sure do like it. If I enjoy it this much I can guarantee that I'll probably be spending a lot of time out here at night just to escape my family.

I sighed when I heard paw-steps coming this way; there goes quiet time. I looked back down at my phone for time and saw that I had been out here for a little over an hour. I flipped over onto my stomach to get a good look at who was coming over. Surprisingly, it was the wolf, McCabe. He walked up to me with a blank glare until he was only a foot away from me.

"Your mom's leaving," he told me. "She said she wants a goodbye before she leaves." Just as I predicted. I nodded my head and told him thank you. I stood up, but when I did he was still there and was blocking my way. I looked up at him quizzically, wondering what exactly he was doing. He looked down at me like a disappointed father would look at their cub.

"I saw what you did this afternoon," he flat out said. My heart literally skipped a beat when he said that. My heart rate increased and I became ten time more nervous then I was. This could be really bad for me, as in my summer could get ten times worse if he says anything. Of course he could be meaning something else and I'm just understanding him wrong. It's unlikely, but possible.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. He rolled his eyes and scoffed at me as if I were pathetic.

"Look man, I don't care who you are or where you come from I'm not going to judge you. But I saw what you did to the rabbit." I wanted to face palm so badly. I hadn't been caught for years, and now I've been seen two times in the past month.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, I ain't no snitch. But I should warn you, I know who she is and I know she'll find out the truth about it eventually. It also helps that she's our neighbor and will most likely be seeing you again." He smiled as if he was imagining me getting found out by the bunny. I inwardly sighed in relief when he said he wasn't going to tell anyone. I didn't want to be on everyone's bad side when I haven't even been here 24 hours.

"Don't get so smug just yet, like I said she will find out eventually. Don't underestimate her just because she's a rabbit. Judy is... well she's something else that's for sure. Now get going, your mom is waiting for you."

I walked on past him and made my way to the front of the house where I could hear talking. I couldn't help but laugh at McCabe trying to make that rabbit seem tough or something. Like I would ever be scared of a dumb little carrot farming bunny.

When I got to the front porch I found mom hugging Aunt Debra once again. When she pulled away I could see that she has been crying a little bit. Can't blame her though. She just got back with her sister after so long and now has to leave and won't be able to see her until the end of the summer when she comes down to pick me up.

When she got done talking to them, she came over to me and gave a small, soft smile. I don't even know how to respond to her. I'm still totally pissed at her and it's going to be awhile before I forgive her for this, but I still love her. I just don't necessarily have the urge to show her that love right now.

"No matter the outcome at the end of the summer, just know that I really love you and I'm going to miss you at home," she whispered into my ear. She put a paw on my shoulder and gave a little squeeze. I rolled my eyes; I couldn't let her leave without giving her a hug. I knew she knew I wasn't in much of a mood for one, but I also know mom loves hugs. I wrapped my arms tight around her and told her that I loved her too. We pulled away from each other and I saw that the tears had returned to her eyes. "Be good for Debra and Tim, please. And behave yourself." It's a little late for that, but I told her I would anyway. She thanked me and said one more goodbye before she walked over to that hunk of junk truck. She opened the door and was about to get in, but at the last second she turned to me and waved with a bright smile on her face.

I watched as she pulled out of the yard and drove down the freeway back towards the city of Zootopia. A ping of hurt came from thinking back to there, wanting to be back home more than anything. Instead I am stuck here with family I barley know, and a wolf who could black-mail me at any moment. This was definitely going to be an interesting summer, and one I'd probably never forget. I guess I might as well make the most out of it.

* * *

 **(Fixed)**

 **Chapter 4 complete, hallelujia. Hope y'all enjoy this. Sorry I don't post very often, I'm just not the fastest when it comes to writing. I just you guys like it. If you do I would really appreciate a Favorite, follow, and or a comment on what you like and what I need to fix.**

 **Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this and to those who favorited, followed and commented.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	5. Busted

I think I have been less productive in these past few days then I have been in my entire life. Usually I tend to be active in my everyday life. I hang out with friends, do stuff with Finnick, and an assortment of many different things. I just haven't had the motivation to do anything here. So far my stay here has consisted of me sleeping, eating, lying around, eating more, then heading back to sleep. This is the most lazy I have ever been in my life, and I can honestly say it's not all that bad. It's nice going from working everyday to try and help out mom and also have some funds for myself; to being able to just do nothing. I thought I was going to hate it here. I figured by now I'd be sick of everything and everyone. Instead, I'm finding that I actually like it here. Well, for the most part.

It's the wolf that's making me feel a bit uncomfortable here. Apparently he's planning on staying for awhile. He didn't say how long which usually means it's going to be a long time. Anyway, the reason why he causes me discomfort is because every time I pass him in the house he either glares at me or gives me a knowing grin. I hate that he knows about me and that damned rabbit. If he hadn't seen, then I wouldn't be plagued by the thought of McCabe ratting me out. Knowing someone can say one thing and ruin everything is really stressful. I've had to be extra careful around him so I don't piss him off to the point he tells on me. It's been driving me crazy if I'm completely honest. That's really the only thing that worries me, so everything else has been nice. Not even that warning he gave me about that rabbit scares me. Some little bunny isn't going to stress me out.

Now I know I said that doing nothing has been nice, but I forgot to mention one thing: I get bored very easy. Sure it was nice taking a few days off, but I'm an active fox that likes to go out and do things. I can't stay pent up in this house forever. Unfortunately, I have no clue what I can do.

Right now the only ones at the house are McCabe and myself. Robin's over at a friend's house, while everyone else went in to town to get some more shopping done. I guess what we had gotten a few days ago wasn't enough to last all week. So that left me home alone with the wolf. I'm not going to lie, he scares the hell out of me. Not only because of the dirt he has on me, but just the way he looks is fricking intimidating. I would not want to get into a fight with him, and I bet most animals wouldn't either. He just has a solid look that gives off the impression that he could kick any animals ass, no matter the size. If I saw him get fighting a bear, then my money would be on McCabe.

After spending all morning in my room, I decided that I actually need to do something today. The boredom is starting to set in, and when I get bored I get kind of pissy and very sarcastic. It's fun for me, but not much for anyone else. So to spare the others I need to get out of this room.

I hoisted myself out from my bed then proceeded to stretch out my unused limbs, getting a few much needed pops out of it. First things first, I need to go grab myself some breakfast. Well, actually since it's nearly noon it should be lunch. I shrugged my shoulders, all I want is some food.

I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal. As I was eating I started scanning through my phone. Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting to look at. I decided to look through some old messages and ended up reading a conversation Finnick and I had last night. I can't help but laugh every time I read his story. This is how it went.

 **"I messed up,"** he sent me.

 **"How so?"**

 **"I got sick of just sitting around on my ass and decided to try and get something done today,"** I had grinned from ear to ear, ready to read his story which I knew would be entertaining **.**

 **"Go on,"** I insisted of him. There was a long gap between his next message meaning he was typing a lot; just means it will be a better and more entertaining story.

 **"First off, you're only aloud three jokes, and if you go over that limit I'll bite your face off. So I decided to go downtown and see what I could do to get some cash. Obviously without you I was limited with our usual scams so I had to come up with something else. Eventually something popped into my mind that seemed like such a good idea at the time."** The more I read the more enticed I became. **"When I was downtown I spotted that weasel, Duke, and knew that he's done some stealing in his life. I went over to him, and sweet talked him into getting some money that we'd split 'evenly'. Honestly, I was just going to pocket it all and leave. What's he going to do to me, I can kick his ass."**

 **"The plan was simple. I know that Duke is pretty good at petty theft, and I know he can pickpocket animals. So I was going to be the distraction and he was going to get the wallets."** At that point I felt like I knew where this was going, but I need to read on anyway **. "The plan itself went off perfectly. I acted like I was a lost tourist who need directions, while Duke snuck up behind them and stole there wallets. We must have gotten ten wallets before I decided to call it good. I went back to the place where we were supposed to meet up. I was going to tell him that I'd count up the money and split it evenly; where in reality I was just going to punch him in the face and leave. It wasn't until ten or fifteen minutes later that I realized he wasn't coming."** It was at that point I lost it. Finnick, the master of cons, gets double crossed by a weasel, and Duke none the less. I could only imagine the fit of rage Finnick had when realizing Duke took off.

 **"Out foxed by a weasel. How sad,"** I sent him.

 **"That's one. Use your other two wisely. Anyway, Duke better be careful and hope he doesn't see me any time soon."**

 **"Don't do anything stupid** ," I joked with him. I still couldn't get over that he got scammed by Duke. The dudes an idiot that can barely breath on his own.

We had texted each other for awhile after that but it was unimportant, and I don't need to get into it. I just love reading that story.

I finished up my cereal and cleaned up my bowl in the sink. After that I decided to go outside and get some fresh air. It will be the first time I step out of this house since mom left. Since she left, I have just crammed myself up in this house. When I walked outside I immediately took in a deep breath of a nice clean air. That's another great thing about this place is that it has actual breathable air, and isn't polluted by all the car fumes that make it really hard to breath. Don't even get me started on how it smells for us canines. That's just one perk Bunnyburrow has. I can't say much about everything else.

I just started walking around the property, which is kind of big, not really going anywhere in particular. I was just checking out the scenery. I saw some farming equipment and vehicles, but it was mostly just fields for miles in each direction, with the occasional hill that was usually pretty small anyways. I can only see two houses in the distance, and from what McCabe said one of them is the house of that rabbit. Hope she doesn't decide to make a surprise visit over to here.

According to Robin, when I asked him yesterday because I was curious, they don't really talk. He says he knows a few of her siblings, but he's only seen her around school a couple of times, and since she's a couple grades above him he doesn't ever speak to her. I did ask how he immediately knew who she was since according to my knowledge of bunnies, there are probably a lot more then just her. He only chuckled and shook his head, then said that everyone knows who Judy is. He walked away after that leaving me with even more questions. What is so special about this rabbit.

"Well look who crawled out from his hole," a voiced chuckled. I turned around and saw McCabe leaning up against the barn door with a content smile. "What drew you to the world of the living," he joked.

"Got bored of doing nothing and decided to have a walk around," I told him. "What are you doing in there?" I asked him curiously, seeing that he was wiping his paws off with a rag.

He looked back into the barn for a second then turned back to me. "Just working on an old project I started a few years back that I never got to finish." He told me. He paused for a second and looked like he was thinking about something. "You want to come and have a look?" He asked.

I was hesitant at first about. Going into a room alone with this guy wasn't a thing I really wanted to do. I don't think he'd do anything to me, but the fear is still there. But I don't have anything else to do, and this might be interesting.

I shrugged my shoulders and said why not. He gestured for me to go in then lead me to the back corner of the barn. What I saw when I got there was kind of an eye sore. It was an old beaten up car that looked like it had been totaled.

"This is it?" I asked, clearly unimpressed.

"Please, contain your excitement," He said sarcastically. When he said that I not only heard a mood change in his voice, but I also felt one. His entire good mood had vanished and he looked more solemn. Did I offend him somehow? He hasn't acted like the type of animal to get easily offended by such a simple comment. "I know it's not much; I didn't know a thing about car's when I first picked it up, so it was a bit of a learning curve at first with a lot of help from Tim." he continued, "But it's looking a lot better then when I first got it." He took his phone out of his pocket and fiddled around with it for a second, then showed me a picture of it in a junk yard, before he had done any work on it. It was much worse than what I'm seeing now. All the windows were shattered; the frame was bent to a shape that was barley recognizable as a car; The front of the car was almost completely gone. It's actually a miracle that he has been able to make it look this good again.

"Why would you chose this piece of junk," I asked him, thinking he was a fool to try and take on a job like this.

He sighed heavily and sat down on a nearby chair. At this point it is obvious this car has some deeper meaning to it.

"It belonged to my parents," he said. Immediately I felt bad for bringing any of this up. My ears flattened and I looked away from him trying to avoid eye contact. I felt awkward now, feeling like I have invaded his privacy. "They were driving it when they got in a drunk driving accident," he explained, making me feel like a bigger piece of garbage for bringing this up.

"Your parents were killed by a drunk driver?" I asked.

"In a way, yes. My parents were the ones who were drunk, driving home from a bar. The other animal never stood a chance, poor guy." The more he explained, the worse I was feeling. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories for him. Except, when I looked over at him, he had a happy smile on his face. The sadness was still there, but he is still happy.

"sorry," I apologized,"I didn't mean to bring all this up." He waved it off, and said it was fine. There was an awkward, eerie silence that loomed after that, neither of us knowing what really to say. Honestly, it isn't my place to really say anything. Of course I wanted to ask him some questions, but it's none of my business.

McCabe clapped his paws together, startling me a little, as well as gaining my attention, "That's enough about my past, how's about we get out of this depressing old barn," he said, throwing a tarp over the car.

We walked silently out of the barn and back out into the open yard. When we got out, I spotted Tim's truck meaning that they were back from shopping. I looked up at McCabe and gestured for us to go see what's up with them and he agreed by nodding.

While we walked, I felt my perception of McCabe start to change. He may be intimidating, and look really mean, but I feel like he's really kind at heart. I haven't seen him act aggressive in any way since I've been here. Even when he confronted me about the rabbit he was nice about it, and even said he wasn't going to tell anyone. My point is, he is a lot nicer than he looks.

We walked into the house through the back door that lead straight into the kitchen where we got a surprised look from Debra who had stopped putting away groceries to stare at me.

"Oh Nick, you were outside. Tim's been looking for you. Says he wants to get you out of that room, but it seems you managed that on your own." She said with that smile that I've seen so much now that it would be weird not to see her with it.

"Yah, I was getting kind of bored up there," I told her. She looked a little relieved seeing me out and about. I wonder if she actually does care about me for some reason? I can't see why. We might be family, but it's not like I'm her child. She has two of her own to worry about. I bet the only reason she's doing this is to help out my mom.

Tim entered the kitchen, and when he saw me asked where I'd been. I explained that I was walking outside when McCabe invited me to have a look at his car. That's all I told them about it; they don't need to know any of the other details. They seemed pleased that I was doing something besides eating their food and sleeping.

Tim looked over to McCabe and asked how the car was coming along. McCabe shrugged with a sheepish smile, "Still not the best with cars, so it's still a challenge," he told them. Tim assured him that he'd fix it up eventually. I can't say I understand why McCabe would even want to in the first place. Why would you go through so much trouble to rebuild a car that was way more then totaled only to have it as a constant reminder of what happened to his parents. I guess that's just my outlook on it. I have no idea what McCabe went through, so I have no way of understanding his reasoning.

Our conversation was suddenly ended when the door bell rang. Tim and Debra looked a little confused. I guess they aren't expecting any visitors.

"Wonder who that could be?" Tim asked himself aloud. He walked to the front door to go and answer it.

"Probably one of Robin or Christy's friends coming to see if they can hang out," Debra commented. I believed that she was probably right, but only for a couple seconds. Once Tim answered the door, he said something that nearly stopped my heart.

"Well if it isn't the infamous Miss Judy Hopps," I heard him laugh loudly to himself happily. My eyes widened to three times there size and my heart began pounding in my chest. I looked over to McCabe and he looked as surprised as his parents.

I aggressively motioned for him to follow me into another room. He rolled his eyes and knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. When we got far enough away where I could whisper to him without anyone hearing us, I turned to him and flailed my arms up.

"What is she doing here?" I seethed. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe she heard I was in town. We were good friends before I graduated and moved away. She probably wants to catch up," he explained. I would have believed that to be the whole truth and just leave it at that, but the way he was grinning at me and the way he talked let me know there was something more.

"You knew this was going to happen the whole time, didn't you?" I growled.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," he still had that smile and that confirmed my suspicions.

"You son of a…" I didn't get to finish before Tim called for McCabe to come to the front room. McCabe gave a little wave before disappearing and leaving me standing alone. I am a bit agitated, I will admit that. I was beginning to think McCabe is a nice wolf. I still do believe that, but now I know he can also be cunning and tricky and an asshole. I just hope Tim doesn't want me to go and meet her. Not only would it be awkward, but I don't think there is any way I'd be able to talk my way out of it.

I couldn't just go upstairs either. The stairs are right next to the room they're in and I know for sure they would see me. The only thing I could do is just wait it out and hope I don't see her at all.

"Nick, get in here and meet Judy." I silently cursed under my breath. Of course Tim would do this. It's like he read my mind and knew exactly what I didn't want, then did just that. I told them I was coming and slowly started walking over. I tried to think of anything that I could do to get out of this, but it seemed inevitable. Finally I sighed and just thought to myself 'screw it' and decided to just get it over with. I guess there's no running away from this one.

I strolled into the room they were in with a smirk on my face, trying to act as normal as possible. Of course I'm going to try and act as if nothing was wrong, like everything is normal on the off chance that she doesn't even recognize me. I may have to face her, but that doesn't mean I have to be truthful. Yet it seems that my little charades had no effect on her. As soon as our eyes met, hers lit up as she recognized me immediately. There goes that plan. Now all I have is the ability to deny everything, but something tells me that won't go over very well. The jig was about to be up, and I knew it.

"Hey, your that fox I ran into in town the other day, aren't you?" She asked. I gave a quick glance over at McCabe, then at Tim. McCabe looked pleased that this was happening, and Tim seemed surprised that we had met the other day.

"How are you, are you okay?"

"Yah, I'm fine." I told her. I mean, that isn't a lie, but I was never not fine in the first place. Once she finds that out she's going to be pissed as well as Tim and Debra. It's not going to be a fun rest of the day for me.

"Why wouldn't he be fine?" Tim asked with some concern in his voice.

"Because he got mugged a couple days ago; didn't he tell you?" I seethed hard, knowing that this was going to be the end of me.

I looked over towards Tim hesitantly only to find him giving me a blank stare. "No, he didn't mention that at all to me."

At this point I knew that I wasn't going to get away with anything. Tim knew exactly what was happening, McCabe was acting like he'd just won the lottery, and by now I'm pretty sure Judy knew something was up.

"What's going on?" She questioned.

"How's about I take you out and explain it to you. I'm pretty sure dad here has a few things to say to Nick," McCabe told Judy, gesturing for her to follow him outside. She was skeptical and curious about the whole situation, but I guess she trusts him because she followed him outside. That just left me and Tim alone in the room.

"You couldn't go a single week without tricking someone of their money?" Tim asked. He didn't sound mad when he said that, it was more disappointment than anything. I can handle that, I'm a constant disappointment to my mother. It's yelling that really gets to me, mostly because of my father.

I shrugged, "I saw a chance and took it. It's who I am," I told him. He shook his head and gave a deep sigh.

"That's the problem Nick, and that's why your mom left you here, so you can get away from all of that," he explained, as if I don't already know that.

"I know why she brought me here; I'm not an idiot."

"That's depends on perspective," he said. I had no comeback for that. "Nick, you probably won't believe me, or won't want to believe me, but I've seen a lot worse animals than you that have turned their lives around. You're a good kid, I can tell. You are smart, clever, and kind; but you use all of those things for the wrong reasons. I get that we're foxes and you believe we are no better than what others see us as, but I can assure you that's not true." I hate it when animals try to lecture me. Non stop it seems that they try and tell me how good I am and how foxes can be better than society paints us. I know all of this, I'm not ignorant to it. The thing is, society won't accept a fox can be good. So why even try to be better when's it's so much easier to just play the part.

Of course I said none of this out loud, I just sat back and listened. At some point Debra came in and was brought up to speed about everything which got her involved in everything, so for the next half hour I got nailed with what I should and shouldn't be doing. I blanked out at a couple of points do to the fact that I didn't care for anything they had to say. I might be living under their roof, but they are not my parents and have no right to lecture me about any of this.

Eventually, much to my relief, they finally stopped. Unfortunately, they told me to go and get the money I stole from the rabbit and give it back. I wanted to tell them a couple of things that probably wouldn't b the best thing to say, so I opted against it. But it wasn't going to be me giving her it back; no way in hell. I took the money out of my wallet and gave it to them. They must have saw that there was any point in arguing about that, so they just sent me to my room. I gladly did just that and went back upstairs to the my room.

This day definitely took an unexpected twist in multiple regards. The worst part about it, however, is that I lost the money. That is really the only thing, besides being caught again, that bothers me. Oh well, at least I have a story to share with Finnick, and he'd definitely get a kick out of this.

 **A little more going on in this chapter. Got a little background on McCabe and got some more Judy in even if it is only for a second. Don't worry, she'll be appearing more often.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has commented and given me suggestions to better my story. I'm happy for the support, that also includes everyone who has favorited and followed. You are all the ones who keep me writing.**

 **Again, thanks to everyone who read and please leave a review, favorite, and or a follow.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	6. Freedom

I guess getting caught could have been a lot worse.

I was expecting the repercussions of my actions to be far worse than what they actually have been. I never even got yelled at, which is knew to me. Usually when I get in trouble I tend to get yelled at, and it was much worse when dad was around. But these foxes talked calmly to me, maybe raising their voices a little for emphasis, but nothing more. Hell, they didn't even call my mom. That's the part I was most scared about. Mom is one scary vixen when she gets extremely pissed off, and if she heard I scammed some rabbit my first day out here, she would have my head. But they said they weren't going to tell her; they said they didn't want to stress her out any more then she already is. All I got was a stern talking, and I was banished to my room, which wasn't even that bad considering that's the only place I've been anyway.

So like I said before, the worst part of all of this is that I lost all that money. I could care less about Debra and Tim being angry with me, a lot of animals don't usually think that much of me anyway, and since they promised they weren't going to tell mom about all this, I honestly have nothing to really worry about.

I guess that's contrary to the belief of McCabe. When he took Judy out and explained to her what I had done, he told me that she was, to say the least, less than thrilled. He said that she didn't really say anything, but he could see the death in her eyes. According to him, she's most dangerous when she's quiet. I could only chuckle as I tried to imagine a rabbit being intimidating.

Speaking of McCabe, him and I have started to become somewhat friends. He's actually been really kind to me, even with me being an asshole to his friend. Out of all of them I talk to McCabe the most. He's just a really down to earth mammal.

I tend to keep my distance from all the rest of them. I'm still not entirely comfortable with this family yet. I find it better to be around him rather then the others. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Robin and Christy, they're just a bit to young for me to talk to. Sure I'll have small conversations with them every now and then around the house, but those are more to break an awkward silence.

I did say that the punishment isn't all that bad, considering it could have been a whole lot worse, but now I'm starting to feel the effects of boredom for doing nothing for an entire week. That's how long it's been since that damned rabbit decided to pay us a surprise visit and get me caught. I'm still annoyed with McCabe since he basically knew she'd come over eventually. Honestly though, with how much I'm getting caught lately, I feel like I'm losing my edge. Anyway, I'm starting to go insane just lying around in a house all day.

All I'm doing at the moment to entertain myself, is staring up at the ceiling singing random popular songs. I don't even know why, it just seemed like something that would somewhat preoccupy me for the time being. I was also getting quite into it, doing air guitar, and drums as I rocked out to my own singing. I was also singing it quite loudly, hoping maybe the others would get sick of it and let me out of this God forsaken room. Plus, I never said my singing was good. Call it a form of torture.

It eventually worked, much to my pleasure. I maliciously grinned as I heard pounding on my room door, stopping me from singing. I looked at the door with a smirk, "Come in," I chirped with amusement clear in my voice. In walked my favorite wolf, not looking entirely pleased.

"Before I lose my mind, I've just come to remind you that a wolves hearing is a lot more acute then a foxes. So if you don't want me to go absolutely berserk on your ass, I advise that you SHUT UP," he stared me down with bared teeth trying his best to intimidate me. A few weeks ago I would have been shaking with immense fear, and if it were any other wolf if I'm being honest; but since I've gotten to know him, I've found him to be completely harmless, so all I could do was smirk knowingly as I tried to get even more on his nerves. I've said it before, I get really irritating when I am bored. So in reality, it's all their fault for keeping me locked in this prison of a room.

Once he realized I knew I wasn't buying in to his tough wolf act, he gave a defeated sigh. "Okay, so maybe I won't, but I wouldn't be against taping your muzzle shut, because, seriously, you need to work on your singing. That, and you need to shut up. You're driving everyone downstairs crazy."

I gave him an exaggerated shrugged. "I was just told to stay in here, there was no stipulations about me singing. I will not be silenced!" I declared pumping my fists into the air. I looked over at him and gave a big grin.

"You are such a drama queen," he sighed with annoyance, but I saw that he was at least slightly amused. "Anyway, Debra and Tim wanted me to tell you that you're free from being stuck up here," he told me.

I looked over to him a little bit skeptical. It's only been a week and he's telling me I've been ungrounded? Either he's messing with me or these animals are just bad at punishment. I asked him if he was serious and he told me he was. Said that they thought I've spent enough time in solitary confinement. I was a bit ecstatic to hear that I could get out of here, yet I had no clue of what to do. I'm still located in the middle of nowhere with the nearest town still miles away from here.

"Unfortunately for me," McCabe groaned, bringing my attention back over to him, "They also said they want me to take you into town to get you out of the house," he growled. Obviously, taking me somewhere isn't on the top of his priority list. Guess he doesn't know how to say no to others.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I," I grinned. He glared at me and asked if I really wanted him to answer the question. I acted as if I was offended by his statement, just getting him to roll his eyes.

"Just get ready and meet me in my truck." He left, leaving me alone in my room again. Wow, this has been the least punishment I've ever received. I've done a lot less and gotten in a lot more trouble with my mom. These foxes definitely are different.

After hopping in the shower, cleaning myself up, and putting on a black t-shirt and some shorts, I made my way downstairs and started walking for the door, when I was stopped by Robin. He looked up curiously at me, like he was examining me or something. He didn't even say anything to me when he walked away.

'Interesting,' I thought to myself, walking out the door. This whole family is different. And it seems there around every corner. I walked onto the front porch and was immediately greeted by Debra.

"Good afternoon, Nick," She greeted me in that usually happy tone that she always has. She didn't even seem to be mad at me, which triggered some alarms in my head. I gave her a small wave and continued walking to McCabe's truck. I saw him already sitting in it waiting for me. I climbed in and looked at him expectantly.

"So, where we going?" I asked him. He shrugged, "I was just told to take you into town. What we do is up to you," he told me, pulling out of the yard.

The drive there was uneventful, as all we did was listen to music and make small talk. I may like him more than the others, but he's bad at talking with others.

I became suddenly confused as we came in view of the town, but instead of stopping in it, we kept driving by. I asked him why we weren't stopping.

"That's just where most of the markets are, nothing fun usually ever happens there," he explained to me. "it's further down where all the fun places are." As we kept driving by, I became even more amazed by the size of this place. It is almost half the size of one of the districts back in Zootopia.

Eventually we pulled over into a smaller, less populated part of the town. Definitely, these animals looked much younger, and most of them were prey. We got out, and I instantly could tell that other animals were staring at me. McCabe must of noticed too, because he leaned over to me and said it was normal for them to stare. "All preds get a glance around here, most of them don't mean anything by it." It gave me little encouragement, considering I didn't care anyways. I get dirty looks all the time.

We walked into the middle of a small field where we took a look around. McCabe took this time to explain what this place was. Said that this was just where some mammals started hanging out, and it eventually turned into the main hang out for high schoolers. It was mostly just a large field with a few buildings spread around here and there. There were a few other things here and there, but they didn't look like anything significant.

"So yah, it actually seems like a lot less then a few years ago when I came here all the time a couple years ago," he frowned, nostalgia hitting him. He shrugged it off, "Guess it's a lot better with frie…"

"McCabe?" a voiced asked from behind us. We both turned around to find a tall and slim rabbit with dark gray fur and black streaks going across his face and ears, next to him was a snow white vixen. I looked up at McCabe, wondering if he knew the two. By the confused expression on his face, I'd assume he has no idea who these two are.

"Jack, Skye?" Well, there goes my assumption. "You two are walking next to each other?" McCabe seemed to be really flabbergasted at the sight of these two. The fox and rabbit looked at each other for a moment, then back at McCabe and burst out laughing.

"Yah, it's hard to believe, huh?" the fox, I now know as Skye, said, looking down at Jack. "I guess the last time you saw us we were still mortal enemies, huh?" Jack said.

"You two could hardly look at each other without being at the others throat," McCabe exclaimed. "Now your friends?" He asked, unsure.

"Yah, last summer we decided to let bygones be bygones," Jack stated happily. "And now we're the best of friends. Weird how that works, huh," Skye chuckled. I had no idea what was going on here, but seeing McCabe act like this amused me.

"I tried for years to try and get you two to get along, but you just become friends out of the blue?" He seemed a bit annoyed. Skye shrugged. "It's a bit more complicated then that, but that's the basics of it."

McCabe cringed really hard and started tensing up his arms and hands. He was starting to look really pissed, but before he blew up, he took a deep breath and put a smile on. "I guess I shouldn't complain. At least you two aren't trying to kill each other," he chuckled. "Yah, that's a big upside." Skye replied.

As they talked, I mostly kept my eye on McCabe, but I could still tell that this Jack kept staring at me.

"So who's this?" Jack questioned with a smile. McCabe gave the two a hard glare as they chuckled at the much larger wolf. "First of all, fuck you," I looked up at him surprised. I never thought I'd hear him swear, he just never seemed like the animal to do so. Obviously these three knew something that I didn't, probably from when they were in school together. "And second of all, this is my cousin, Nick. Tim and Deb are taking him in for the summer." I grinned at the two and nodded in acknowledgement to them.

When Skye heard my name, she squinted her eyes a little as if she was trying to recall something. Jack and McCabe both noticed and asked what was wrong. "I feel like I've heard that name. Could of sworn I heard Judy say that name awhile ago, and she wasn't happy about it." McCabe and I shared a look with each other. I knew he wouldn't tell them, he'd leave that to me if I ever wanted to. I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I have no clue who this Judy is, but if I upset her then I am sorry," I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. I couldn't see him, but I knew McCabe was looking down at me with disappointment; not that I really care. The others, though, seemed to buy into my lie. The brushed that aside, and the three went back to having a conversation that in no way involved me.

I glanced up at McCabe and saw that he was way to preoccupied to worry about me. So now's the time I've decided to make a move. I slowly backed away as the fox, rabbit and wolf conversed, none of them even noticing. When I felt a safe distance away, I fully turned around and decided to have a look around. No offense to McCabe, but I tend to like to do my own thing. Sure friends are nice for company every now and then, but I always tend to like being alone more often hen not.

After awhile of wondering around, I found that there was nothing of real interest. Everything just seemed to be bland. It was nothing compared to the city with excitement around every corner; although some of that excitement not being entirely legal.

I was about to call it quits after a half hour of wondering around, knowing McCabe is about ready to kick my ass, probably thinking I took off to scam someone else. I easily could, animals my age are usually more gullible then adults, but I'm just not really in the mood. Plus it seems this town is small enough that if I do something, it'll probably reach Tim and Debra eventually. And McCabe always seems to know about everything I do, and I don't need him having more blackmail on me.

Anyway, I was on my way back to him, when I heard a bit of a commotion causing my ears to perk up. There was yelling and shouting coming from somewhere. Without hesitation, I made my way in the direction I was hearing all this noise coming from. Maybe I'd find something interesting.

My hopes were soon shattered, though, as when I found the spot, all I saw was a boring little confrontation. A red fox, like myself only much fatter, and a weasel were picking on animals clearly smaller and weaker than him. I rolled my eyes in irritation, I never have been a fan of bullying, especially since I was harassed a lot as a kit. I found that a small growl made its way to my throat, but I suppressed it. I may not like bullying, but I also make myself not get involved with other mammals business.

I turned to step away, but yet again I was pulled back. The voice of a certain bunny that I've heard only a few times caught my attention. I turned around when I heard her yell out what I guess are the names of the bullies. I watched with fascination as the small rabbit walked up to the much larger predators with no fear. There was a clear annoyance on the foxes face as he looked down at the doe. Deciding this might get interesting, I got a little closer and started listening in on their conversation.

"What are ya doin 'ere ya little pest," the fox growled, looking like he was ready to fight. I had to chuckle; now this is the stereotypical type of animal I expect to see around here. The way he talks, and how he dresses in raggedy clothes is what I imagined these animals to be like. Granted, this is the only mammal I've seen like this, so it doesn't mean much.

"I should be asking you the same thing," She shot with aggression thick in her voice. "You know how I feel about you picking on animals," She spat. Now I am intrigued. Obviously, these two have crossed paths before, but it seems something between them happened that gives this bun the confidence to speak to him like this.

The fox grumbled something under his breath that I couldn't hear. His stance became more passive and his head was hanging low in shame. "Now I recommend that you leave before I have to humiliate you again," She smirked. I saw him bear his teeth for a split second before turning around and walking away in defeat. The animals that we're getting bullied ran over to her and started singing their praises. I had to admit myself that it was impressive that an animal as small as her intimidated that large fox. Maybe McCabe wasn't lying when he said this rabbit is someone not to mess with.

As she was getting thanked, she looked up and made eye contact with me and her expression flattened. I smirked and turned around, already knowing that she'd be following me. This was going to get interesting.

As expected, I heard someone running up behind me. "It is you," I heard Judy say from behind me. "They one and only," I smirked. I turned to meet her aggressive glare, and might I say she is not looking very friendly.

"You lied to me," She plainly stated. I stopped and turned to her. "Guilty as charged," I confessed mockingly, which only caused her to look even more heated. "I could turn you into the Police for that, you know." I shrugged, "Yah, I know. But I also know that McCabe talked to you and asked you not to. He told me you promised not to, and you seem like the kind of mammal to keep your word." She went to say something, but it seems like she's didn't have a rebuttal. Instead she decided to change the subject.

"Why were you watching me?" She asked. "I was intrigued," I shrugged. She looked skeptical of my answer as she narrowed her eyes at me, not that I could really blame her.

"Intrigued? By what? Do you find entertainment in seeing others getting harassed?" She accused. I was a little annoyed by the comment, since I hate bullies with a passion. But I understand why she's angry. "Quite the opposite, actually. I thought it was cool how you stood up to that asshole," I honestly told her. She looked taken back by the answer as her face lightened up a little. "I'm not really a big fan of bullies."

When I said that, she again began glaring at me. "Yet you trick innocent animals out of there money," She shot, "I consider that bullying." She did have a point there. I gave a half hearted shrug, "What you call bullying, I call surviving. I don't come from the wealthiest family." I told her. A look of disgust was still spread across her face. She seems to be a lawfully good type of animal that doesn't take any crap from anyone. Of course she hasn't lived the life I have, so I don't expect her to understand anyway.

"What would your parents think?" She questioned me. Now it was my turn to glare at her, causing her to take a step back. She hit a bit of a nerve bringing up my parents. I'm not one that usually gets angry, and I'm still not that angry; just slightly annoyed. Still, it's uncommon.

"My mom's not very pleased, that's why I'm stuck in this damned place rather than Zootopia. And my dad hasn't cared what I've done for a long time, since he's been locked up in prison." Her ears drooped back and her confidence disappeared as she looked ashamed that she brought that up. I calmed myself down and rolled my eyes.

"But yah, I guess you do have a point," I told her. She seemed stunned that I admitted that I was in the wrong, not that I actually meant it. I just said it so she wouldn't get all mopey on me. I hate seeing animals get all emotional for no reason. Yah, that's why I said that.

"Uh, yah. Of course I'm right. And sorry for bringing that stuff up," She said. I waved it off and said not to worry about it. I wonder how this conversation went from her assaulting me with words, to apologizing for bringing up my father.

"There you are," I flinched as I heard a very angry McCabe shout over at me. I turned around to see an enraged wolf with bristling fur come storming over towards me. He came right up next to me and I've never felt smeller as he stared down at me. This was true rage that I've never seen from McCabe until today.

"Where the hell have you been," he wanted to yell, but I could tell he was restraining himself. He glanced over at Judy and I swear I could see hells fire in his eyes. "Don't tell me you've been harassing Judy again," he growled. I shook my head quickly, trying to explain what was going on, but all I could do was stutter in fear.

"Calm down McCabe, he hasn't done anything wrong. Well, not to me. We were just talking." She defended me, which I wasn't really expecting. McCabe's rage diminished, but only a little bit. He still demanded to know where I had gone. I explained to him that I had just gone out exploring to see if I could find anything interesting. I told him the only thing I saw was Judy being a bad ass and scaring off a fox over twice her size.

McCabe looked over to Judy, "Gideon back at it again?" He asked her, which she responded with a nod. "He just doesn't know when to stop. You'd think he'd lean eventually," Judy sighed. Seems this fox has a part to play in both these animals lives. I looked questionably between the two, wanting to know the full story.

"So, what's this Gideon done to piss you guys off so much," I asked them. I know it's probably weird to ask Judy this since we hardly know each other, but I'm curious.

"He's a jerk who loves picking on others for his own satisfaction. Judy and I were two he especially loved to torment," McCabe sighed, his anger finally subsiding completely. Now he just looked distressed as he lingered on bad memories. Judy didn't look much better. "This really isn't the best place to be talking about this," McCabe commented, and Judy agreed. This is definitely a touchy subject for the two. And noticing how many mammals were walking around, I understood why they didn't want to talk about it here. I wouldn't really hold it against them if they didn't want to talk about it at all.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again Judy, but I think Nick and I should get going," McCabe said, motioning to me to get going. Judy nodded and smiled happily at him, "See you around McCabe. Hope you have a good rest of the day," She told him. She gazed over at me for a moment, "same to you too, Nick." It was unmistakably forced, but I guess she was trying to be polite. It's most definitely a rural thing, since if she was from Zootopia she'd be cussing me out. I gave her a genuine smile and said right back at you.

We turned from each other and McCabe and I walked back to his truck. We started driving back and most of the trip back has been like the one to town: silent. In my mind I was arguing weather or not I should bring up the Gideon thing. I know it's none of my business but I tend to get very curious about a lot of things and it drives me crazy. So I decided to give into my inner wanting's and ask him. He took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Gideon's never been friendly towards anyone, not even the ones who he calls his 'friends'. And when my parents passed away he took that as a chance to kick me while I was down." My mouth was gaped in shock as I scowled with disgust. I can't believe anyone would do that. It's never okay, in any way, to make fun of someone for their dead parents. Someone like that deserves to get the shit beat out of them. "I had always been an emotionally unstable pup, and Gideon didn't really help with the situation."

"But couldn't you have just kicked his ass? You're a wolf that's much bigger than him." He gave a hefty sigh and shook his head. "It's sounds as simple as that, but it wasn't I assure you. I… my parents… they…" I looked over at him when he stopped talking and saw he was having a very hard time with this. There was a lump in his throat and I could tell he was holding back some tears. I told him he didn't have to tell me anymore, and he nodded saying that would be the best. Needless to say, the rest of the drive was quiet, with only the sound of the truck driving down the road.

It seems that there is a lot more to McCabe than I first anticipated. I'm pretty sure he's not telling me everything and that's fine. If he doesn't want to, then that's his choice; I'm not going to pry him for information.

Then there's Judy. I don't know what it is about her, but she just intrigues me so much. Maybe it's her bravery, or maybe it's something else. I can't deny though, that she is attractive. I mean for a rabbit, that is. I'm not into interspecies stuff, and I'm almost positive she wouldn't be. Besides, she definitely hates my guts. I don't even know why I'm thinking about this, it's a rabbit for hell sake. A rabbit that's a pain in my ass. I pushed that out of my head immediately.

I've only been here a couple of weeks and I've been through some interesting stuff. I wonder what the rest of my time here will bring me.

* * *

 **Wow, it's been quite a long time since I last posted. For all those who have been waiting for me to post a chapter, I apologize. To anyone else, well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully you found all of this interesting and liked the conversation between Nick and Judy. Also, I'm glad to bring in Jack and Skye into the story. I've always loved the characters ever since I heard about them. Anyway, thanks to all those who read and I'd really appreciate a comment. Tell me what you like or dislike and what I need to work on.**

 **Peace Out**


	7. Ride of Emotions

"You're going to what?"

"I'm going to teach you how to drive!"

This had been the last thing I had expected to hear. It's been a day since McCabe and I visited the town and had all that crazy stuff happen with Jack and Skye, then Judy and Gideon, and lastly McCabe's little breakdown. I never would have thought McCabe to be someone that got bullied. I guess his past is still mostly a mystery to me. He doesn't talk much about it, only small bits every now and then. He just doesn't like talking about it, and I get that. I'm pretty positive that most of these mammals in this house don't know about how my father treated my mom and I. Tim and Deb are probably the only ones, and I intend to keep it that way. I don't like others knowing so much about my past, because you just never know who you can actually trust with that kind of information.

When we got home last night, it was pretty much boring for the rest of the time until I went to sleep. We had dinner and they asked what we did. McCabe said he met up with some friends, them being Jack and Skye. I still want to know what that rabbit said to make McCabe so flustered. I guess I'll have to ask him another time. I just told them I wandered around the place and nothing really cool happened. I didn't want to tell them about Judy because that just would've sparked up a whole other conversation that I wouldn't have been willing to have. I'm still getting used to the whole 'eating at a table with everyone' thing. Usually it was fend for myself, or warm up something mom made before she left for work; which was very rare when it happened. The only thing I can say that I like about that, is that Debs cooking is fantastic. I can't get enough of her meals; they're just so delicious.

After dinner it was pretty dark, so I decided to do something I hadn't done since I first got here. I walked into the back yard, found the giant patch of grass, and laid down in the grass gazing into the beautiful night sky. You rarely get to see the sky like that in the city due to all the smog, but here you could see it every night. Everything about it just seemed to bring me peace and made me relaxed. When I finally got up to go inside and get some sleep, I told myself I'd have to do that more often.

I spent most of the next morning in bed not wanting to get up at all. It had been a little past midnight when I came in, so it was late when I actually fell asleep. They had to send up Robin to tell me to get out of bed. I wouldn't have listened if he hadn't threatened to get McCabe to come wake me up. I'd already had a few rude awakenings from him, and I didn't feel like getting thrown out of bed today. After I dragged myself out of bed and took a shower, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal. At this time it was about 11:30. I was almost done eating when Tim walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. I didn't really acknowledge that he was there, I just continued on with what I was doing: eating and messing with my phone.

I've noticed that they have a very nice house with very nice things, yet I know that Deb is a stay at home mom. So Tim has to be the provider, but I have no idea what he does. I have noticed that he is gone for long periods of time a couple days a week, but I've never heard anything about his job. It's obviously something that pays well or they wouldn't have all this nice stuff. For being here for a couple of weeks, it's occurred to me that I still know nearly nothing about this family which is really unlike me. I tend to try and get to know most animals I meet, but I've tended to mostly distance myself from everyone.

It took me a moment, but eventually I noticed that Tim was staring me down. I noticed very early on that Tim isn't much for small talk, but he's never done this before. It's kind of creeping me out. It was when he saw that he caught my attention that he said the thing I was least expecting.

"I don't have work today, and I know for a fact that you're not doing anything, so I figured I could take you out driving," I looked shocked for a few moments, thinking I might of misheard him.

"You're going to what?" I questioned, trying to make sure exactly what I heard.

"I'm going to teach you how to drive!" he clarified. We stared at each other for a solid thirty seconds as he waited for my response.

"You know my mom would strangle you for even mentioning that," I told him. My mom has a very strict thing with cars, where she wants me nowhere near the steering wheel of one. I don't even know why; it seems like a very irrational restraint she's put on my life.

Tim just shrugged it off, unfazed at all by it. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Anyways, driving is a valuable skill to have, especially in case of an emergency." I guess I can't really argue with him there, since I'd say the same thing. I've definitely used that same line at some point in my life. Besides, I've always wanted to drive, but mom's just been so stingy about it.

Tim held up his car keys and jingled them in temptation. It seems he knows how my mind works, because I'm past the point of temptation and have already made up my mind to learn how to drive. "What are we waiting for, let's get going," I jumped up from my chair, ready to do this.

Next thing I knew I was sat in a small car with my paws on the steering wheel, ready to get driving. Tim was sat next to me giving out directions, but I wasn't paying much attention to that; I was more preoccupied with the excitement I was feeling about how awesome driving is going to be. I know Finnick would be jealous, since he's been saving up for this one van for a very long time, and until he gets it he won't be driving.

"So that's really all the basics you need to know. Think you're ready?" He questioned. I nodded with a wide smile. I don't think I've been thus excited about anything since… well, since that awful night. But the memory of that won't put a damper on my mood. I turned the keys and started up the engine. I was about to put the car into drive, when Tim cleared his throat to gain my attention. I looked over at him confused and slightly rolled my eyes when I saw him gesturing to his seat belt. I put it on and put the car into drive, and pushed on the gas pedal as Tim told me to be steady with it. Slowly but surely I got the car going and onto the road. This was definitely more nerve racking when we got onto the main road, but I still kept my cool.

Tim was giving me pointers every now and then, and I decided to actually listen to him this time, feeling I should since both our lives are technically in my paws.

Now since it's just us two, it seems like a perfect time to ask some him some questions that have been on my mind. "Hey Tim, can I ask you a few questions." He looked over and seemed a bit taken back, but quickly recovered.

"Sure, ask away," he insisted.

"What exactly do you do? I don't think you've ever mentioned your job." I inquired of him.

"I guess I never have told you, have I. I'm a physical therapist in town." I looked over at him with a mixture of surprise and amazement. He looked amused from my reaction. "Shocking, huh? Contrary to popular belief, not everyone that lives the country are completely stupid." He laughed. Okay, in all honesty, I can't deny that I figured most mammals here would be pretty stupid.

"What gave you the idea to be a therapist?" I questioned him.

He shrugged, "I guess when I was growing up in, I was around a ton of farmers and they always seemed to be hurting themselves. Back then in the Burrows you just had to tough your way through it. So I had the idea to try and make a better way. After high school I went to The University of Zootopia, got the degrees I needed, came back here and opened up a small business that slowly grew over the years." It seems talking about this makes him happy, because he couldn't stop smiling while he explained this part of his life. "Plus, it's how I fell in love with Debra, but that's a story for another day."

I nodded my head and decided to ask my next question. It's more on the delicate, sensitive side of things and I was debating with myself weather or not I should actually ask it. Ultimately, though, I decided to just do it.

"I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries with this, but can I ask what's up with McCabe?" Tim slowly nodded his head and took a moment to think about it.

"He hasn't had the easiest life," he started, picking out his words carefully. "It's not really my place to say anything, but what I can say is that his parents weren't the most supportive mammals," he explained with pity. A thought crossed my mind of what he meant by that, which makes me have some sympathy for the wolf. That is of course if I'm right about my thoughts.

"So now that you've asked me a few questions, let me ask how you've liked it here so far, being in the burrows?" Tim suddenly questioned. I looked at him, wondering if he had actually asked that.

"Other than being crammed into a house for the past few weeks, being grounded, and passing of everyone in your family, it's been great," I replied sarcastically.

Tim shrugged, "Fair point. Though, I wouldn't say you pissed us all of, just kind of disappointed us. Also, it's your family too," He stated. I replied by scoffing. I couldn't feel less apart of this family than I do now. We hardly ever talk with one another, everyone seems to keep their distance from me, and I swear every time I see Robin and Christy they're just glaring at me. McCabe has been the only one to be friendly towards my. But instead of saying all that I settled with, "Yah, sure," with emphasized sarcasm. He didn't seem to appreciated my answer.

"Come on now, you don't have to be like that. You haven't really been easy to deal with and you've only been here a couple of weeks. You're lucky McCabe is such good friends with Judy, or she probably would have reported you to the cops." That may be true, but I'm still a minor so they couldn't do to much to me. But he is one hundred percent correct with that statement. "It's takes two to make a relationship work, that includes with your significant other, your friends, and your family. You can't expect everyone to treat you how you want if you don't treat them right." I suppose he has a fair point there. I couldn't really think of anything that I could use to defend myself. A feeling of discomfort came over me, so I nodded to try stop the conversation. Unfortunately for me, it seems like he has a few things he wants to get off his chest, because he didn't stop at that.

"I'm not going to sugar coat it any more. You play the victim way to much. I know that you've lived a difficult life, but your not the only one. I know your father is a terrible fox; I had to live with the fact that neither Debra nor myself could do anything about it because your mom wouldn't let us. I know us foxes don't get treated as fairly as others; I've had my fair share of places I've been thrown out of, or refused service because of my species. I know how hard it is to live in poverty; I can assure you I had it a lot harder than you. I lived in a small house with two bedrooms and a bathroom, all of which I shared with my mom, dad, and seven younger siblings. We had to take turns who got dinner, and it was a rarity for either of my parents to have a filling meal," he stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and calming himself down. "Yet I never acted in a negative way. Sure, it wasn't the easiest and I would become discouraged at times, but my father taught me something that I've kept with me ever since I was a small kit; that your attitude towards life ultimately determines your destiny."

Speechless is the word if use to describe how I feel as I'm left stunned by Tim's rant. He had already given me a stern talk after he found out about me scamming Judy, but it wasn't at all this personal. I started feeling an uncomfortable pressure building up in my chest that I have never felt before.

He seemed to be all the way calmed down when he began speaking again. "That being said, I just think you should know that everyone does care about you. You may not think so, which is fine, but I assure you that everyone would do most anything for you." I feel like that might not be entirely true, but I decided not to argue with him so this conversation would end.

The next few minutes were in silence as we both recovered from what just occurred. To distract myself, I decided to just focus completely on the road. I can't believe that Tim left me speechless like that, it's very rare. I'm usually pretty quick with comebacks, but I just didn't have anything to say to him. It has made me think about my whole attitude while being here, and about my life in general, which I guess hasn't been the best. Maybe he has a point.

We got to a certain point and Tim told me to turn around. Without any talking, the ride back seemed to take a lot longer. I didn't want to say anything in fear of Tim blowing up on me again. On the bright side of things, I was doing amazing at driving. I definitely haven't been perfect, but I've done better than I expected. Of course it's an automatic, so it isn't as difficult as I imagine a manual to be. Still, it's been fun driving. All the other stuff, not so much.

I felt a wave of relief come over me as we pulled back onto the property. I parked in one of the sheds they used as a garage and we got out. I was about to book it out of there, but cringed as Tim stopped me.

"I hope you think about our conversation, Nick. And again I want you to know that I, along with everyone in this family, loves you more than you may think," then without another word he walked back into the house. Holly hell am I glad that that's all over. Unfortunately, though, I know that the one sided conversation will be stuck in my mind weather I like it or not.

I started slowly walking back to the house as I reflected on Tim's words. As I was, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and over at the large barn and saw McCabe leaning up on it next to the door. By the way he was dressed I assume he was working on that car. He had on a knowing smile as if he knew exactly what had gone on in that car.

"I'm guessing that Tim took you out to teach you how to drive, then ended up running on about life," He stated. I looked at him in suspicion and asked how on earth he could have known that. Is this wolf psychic or something. He shook his head and chuckled, "Because he did the same thing with me." I stared wide eyed at him. Was all that a just a set up. Did Tim really just trick me into driving so he could get us alone and talk with me. I felt a slight anger swell up in me as I cursed under my breath.

"I heard that," McCabe teased. I ignored him and continued to aggressively mumble unkind things, which seemed to amuse McCabe even more. "Yah, I felt the same way when I learned Tim did that to me. I was upset for a long while, but eventually got over it and learned that he did it because he cares." Even if that is true, it still doesn't douse my flames of anger. Though, I wonder why McCabe needed to be taken on the trip. There's still a big mystery about McCabe that I wish I knew so I didn't have to be out of the loop. I wouldn't be asking him now, though, because before I was able to get a word off he said he'd see me later, then went back into the barn to work more on his car.

I looked at the time and saw that the drive had only taken up about an hour of my time, making it close to one, and I had no idea what I was going to do for the rest of the day. I decided that meandering around the place would be better than going inside and doing nothing. I feel like I already have a good idea of where a lot of things are in this place. The main house is in the middle of it all; towards the east is the driveway towards the house which was surrounded by small trees and bushes; to the south is the large barn where McCabe is right now- I've only ever been in there once and that was when McCabe invited me in to show off his car. Up at the west end is a decent sized guest house, a place I'd never been in. If I had to guess, it has one bedroom, a bathroom, and maybe a small half kitchen half living room; that's where McCabe has been staying. Finally, at the north side are a few smaller sheds with a little over half a dozen cars of different ages were parked. Tim and his family definitely have a thing for cars.

After walking for awhile, I came to the front of the house where there was a large tree and a yard of grass. Being on my phone under a shady tree outside is probably better than being in that room doing the same thing. So I figured I'd enjoy the outside as I browse through my phone.

I'm actually starting to get real worried about Finnick. It's been almost a week since the last time he texted me. He's been keeping own to not answer his texts, so I didn't think much of it at first. But we always had this agreement to let each other know that we're okay, because the streets can be a dangerous place. I was texting my other friends asking if they had heard anything from him, but none of them knew anything about where he was or has been. They said he just kind of disappeared off the radar. The fear I have for my friend is immense, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. That's why I've been on my phone so much lately. I'm already on it a lot, but recently I haven't gone two minutes without checking my phone hoping that he'd text me back.

When my screen flashed with an alert, my heart nearly stopped. I quickly opened up my text messages and was hit with a wave of relief when I saw its from Finnick. I released a deep breath and read what he had to say.

'Seems someone's missed me," he texted me. I could only imagine the smug little smirk he had right now. A smirk I would be willing to smack off his fennec face

'Where the hell have you been,' if we were face to face, I'd be yelling at him

'Been working on a sort of investment,' he explained very discreetly. Now I'm even more interested in what he's been doing.

'What kind of investment?' I interrogated. it took him awhile before he responded. When he finally did respond, it was a picture that left me speechless. In his hand is a giant wad of cash full of hundred dollar bills. A thousand questions ran through my head as I tried to figure out how in hell he'd be able to get that much cash.

'Where did you get all that money?'

'Like I said, I made investments with a few mammals.' I want to reach into my through his and strangle him. You had to take a deep breath to compose myself.

'Seriously, how'd you get the cash?'

'Fine. But if you tell anyone I might have to kill you,' I rolled my eyes at his dramatic threat, then continued to read . You know the big time mobster from Tundra Town, Mr. Big? Well, I work in his organization now.' I honestly don't even know how to respond to this. Shocked is the easiest way to explain what I was feeling right now. I thought Tim telling me he was going to teach me how to drive would be the craziest thing I would hear today. Finnick proved me wrong.

'How?' was the only thing I could come up with to ask him.

'I can't go into to much detail, so I'll just tell you that I met up with this guy who works for Big and long story short he gave me a job. I'm basically the lowest of the low, but as you can see it still pays very well.' I was at a loss for words. I leave for a couple weeks and Finnick goes off and joins the Mafia. There are a lot of things that I'd like to tell him, like how stupid he is being, but I know there no way out of this for him. All I could tell him was to be careful.

'Don't worry little Nicky, I'll be just fine,' I really hate that name, and he knows that. I didn't say anything though, I just left the conversation at that.

I don't really know how to feel. Should I feel jealous that he's making all this money and I'm stuck here not being able to do anything. Should I feel angry that he went against our promise that we wouldn't do anything without each other. Or should I feel scared that my friend is part of a very dangerous gang and is very expendable to them. I settled with feeling a bit of all of them, and more. I just hope he doesn't get himself killed.

I looked up when I heard the door to the large barn open and close. I saw McCabe walking towards the house with a large grin on his face. Seems he was happy about something. He looked over and our eyes met and immediately a look of concern came over him. He walked over and asked if everything was okay. I gave a half-hearted shrug. "Not really, and I can't really talk about it either."

He gave me a weird look, but, luckily for me, decided not to pry. "Alright then. Anything I can do to help?" He asked me. I thought about it for a second, then just shook my head no. I told him I just wanted to be alone right now to think this over. McCabe nodded and said he'd be around if I needed him. Before he did leave though, he turned back around and said one more thing. "You know, it's not always good to be alone. We are here to help you." With that, he left. He probably has a point, but this is something that can't really be discussed.

I groaned and held my head in my paws as it pounded. I have so many things on my mind, and trying to think about all of it at once has just given me a major head ache. With Tim, Finnick, McCabe, and everything that has gone on, my mind can't handle it all. I need to just clear my mind from all of this and relax, but I don't think I actually can. I feel like I want to blow my brains out. I don't know how much more I can actually take.

I felt the buzz of my phone go off, telling me I was getting a text. I looked at my phone and read what was on the screen, then read it again, and again. It was from my mom. 'Your father was released out of prison today.'

Well, make that three things I didn't expect would happen today.

* * *

 **A lot of interesting things happening to Nick, most not so good, unfortunately for him. Hopefully things will start to change for the better. I can say that maybe things will get better, maybe they won't. You'll have to come back in the next chapter and see.**

 **Thanks to everyone for reading. Please leave a review, they always help.**

 **Peace Out**


	8. Nick's Past Troubles

It was an oddly dark night in the giant city of Zootopia. A new moon caused for the lack of illumination on the city below, and not a single star was in sight due to the thick cloud coverage. Every now and then the loud clap of thunder could be heard echoing across the streets. It's was surprisingly empty in Nick's neighborhood, and he wondered to himself where everyone was. As long as he's lived there, he'd never seen the streets empty like this.

Nick looked up into the front seat of the car where he saw a pair of light blue eyes looking at him. The eyes belonged to Nick's snow leopard friend, Lenny. "What's wrong, Nick?" The cub asked his friend.

Nick frowned, "I don't know, Len, Something feels weird," the young Nick pouted. Of course that was a lie. He wasn't really feeling weird, since he knew the feeling all too well. He was scared to go home.

"It's probably just your tummy getting upset again," Lenny's mom assured him. Nick had been staying at his friends house and was going to have a sleep over. The two were running around the house playing a game of tag, when he started feeling sick. He wanted to stay over and play with his friend, but when he threw up, Lenny's mom decided it be best to take him home.

Now as they drove to Nick's apartment building, Nick again started having a sickly feeling. Except this time it wasn't the feeling of needing to puke, instead it was replaced by the feeling of dread as they got closer and closer to his house, and even scarier his father.

He used to think that's just how all dads acted. But when he saw other mammals being happy with their dad's, he knew something was wrong. He remembers going up to his mom one day and asking why dad didn't love him. He got an unexpected answer when his mom broke down crying in front of him. Nick didn't understand any of it. She was crying quietly, hugging him tightly and kept saying "It'll be okay" over and over.

That was a couple of years ago, and it's gotten a lot worse since them. It got to the point where Nick avoided going home as much as possible. If he was lucky, his dad would be passed out in front of the TV before he got home. On other days when that wasn't the case, he'd come home to his drunken dad hoping that he wouldn't go off on one of his rages.

There was one night in particular that was etched into his mind which would cause him to tense up at just the thought. He had come home one night to hear his parents fighting in the kitchen. It wasn't a rare thing for that to happen, but this sounded a lot worse than usual, and Nick wanted to find out why.

He crept silently towards the kitchen and peeked in. He was terrified to see his mom backed into a corner by his dad. He'd heard them fight before, but it's never been this bad before. Nick was about to leave before his dad saw him, but as he was leaving he noticed something that made the kits blood boil. He spotted gashes on his mom's face with blood streaming out of them. Nick looked at his dads paw that was raised in the air and saw blood on his claws. Something clicked in Nick and out of impulse he sprinted over in front of his mother.

Vicky's eyes became wide with fear when she saw her kit run from out of nowhere and stand in between her and Eric. She pleaded for Nick to leave, but the brave young fox stood his ground.

The much larger male looked down at Nick with amusement. "Is the little hero gonna save his mommy," Eric slurred mockingly in his drunken state. The smell of alcohol from his breath burned Nick's nose, but he didn't let that bother him.

Nick bared his tiny teeth and growled defensively up at his father. He didn't care how much larger or stronger his dad was. All he had on his mind was protecting his mom, who was still pleading for him to leave.

Eric's amused smile disappear and he glared down at his son. "Looks like I'm going to have to teach you some respect." In that moment, all of Nick's bravery disappeared as his dad swatted him to the ground with great force.

Vicky screeched when Nick fell down with a violent thud. Eric backpawed her across the face, "Shut up you stupid bitch," he shouted.

"Don't touch my mom," Nick snarled. He launched himself, ignoring the pain he was feeling, at his dad and clawed him across the face. Eric reared back in pain.

"You little shit," he seethed, holding his face in pain. He lunged forward for Nick trying to get ahold of his son. Nick tried to jump away from his grasp, but was much to slow. Eric pick him up as he struggled to get away, but to no avail. "I'll teach you why you shouldn't fuck with me," he whispered into Nick's ear. He then launched Nick all the way across the kitchen into a wall causing it to crack

Nick howled in pain from the hard impact. He whined as he struggled to breath from getting the wind knocked out of him. In his young mind he thought he was dying, and he'd never been more afraid in his life. He whimpered and whined for his mom, but Eric wasn't done with her.

He had her lifted up by the collar of her shirt. "You better keep your little hell spawn in line before something worse happens," he threatened. Vicky nodded her head, violently crying. She needed to get over to her kit and make sure he was alright. For one final act of violence, Eric punched her right in the eyes and dropped her to the ground. "And if you call the cops, I'll make sure your life is a living hell." With that he left the kitchen and soon after that the sound of the front door slamming shut was heard. Vicky knew he was going back out to get even more drunk then he already was.

When she knew that he was gone, Vicky crawled over to her crying kit to comfort him. She brought him into a tight hug and she never wanted to let him go. How dare that bastard touch her kit like that. She wanted to do something so bad, but fear stopped her. She didn't want things to go from bad to worse.

Nick buried himself as much as he could into his mother, trying to hide away from the world. He felt so scared and knew only his mom would be able to comfort him. She cooed to him, trying to calm him down as best as possible. She tried to convince him that everything was going to be okay, but she didn't even believe it herself.

That was the worse experience Nick had ever had with his father. That was the first night he had ever hit him or his mother, and after that it became more frequent. That's why Nick was so fearful to go home.

"What the…"

Nick was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Lenny's mom gasp. The sight of flashing lights caught his attention and he looked out his window. The car was driven and parked across from his home and he was shocked to see three cop cars parked outside.

"What's going on," Lenny asked his mom.

"I'm not sure," She responded. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't want Nick anywhere near it just in case it was something really bad. Unfortunately for her, it was too late.

Nick swung his door opened and ran over to his home, ignoring the shouts for him to come back. His mind went to the worst of places thinking that something bad had happened to his mom. Luckily, though, when he got past the large cop cruisers he spotted his mom a little ways away from the house talking with a female tiger. Nick saw how upset she looked and immediately ran over to her.

Vicky looked over when she heard Nick shouting 'mom'. Her heart sank when she saw him. She sent him to go have a sleep over for a reason; she didn't want him here for this.

"Nicky, what are you doing here?" She questioned.

"I wasn't feeling good, so Ms. Whitney brought me home," he explained. "What's going on?" He asked, scared that dad had done something to her. Vicky sensed his fear and couldn't help but smile.

Vicky kneeled down and came face to face with her kit. "Your father won't be able to hurt us anymore," She told him, tears of relief finding their way out of her eyes. She had wanted to do this for so long, but had been to scared. She was abused, witnessed her kit abused, was taken advantage of, and put up with a lot of shit. But she knew she had to do something when she overheard Eric talking to himself while he was drunk saying that he was going to kill Nick so they didn't have to pay for him anymore.

Vicky didn't know how serious he was being, but she knew that she couldn't take any chances. She gathered up all her courage and called the cops. Luckily, she chose a night where he was drunk enough that he had no idea what was going on around him. She always wondered how he just didn't kill over dead with how much alcohol he consumed. But she doesn't have to worry about that anymore. He's going to prison for a long time, and even when he gets out he won't be aloud anywhere near the two.

Nick looked at his mom, astonished. No more beatings, he thought to himself. No more fearing his dad, or having long nights where he'd cry himself to sleep. No more seeing his mom look depressed and helpless. This was the greatest thing that he could think to happen. He giggled and cheered with joy, something that made Vicky's heart melt.

"You bitch," Eric's scream pierced the night sky. Vicky brought Nick close to her protectively as Eric was being led out by a big grizzly and lion. The tiger cop stepped in front of the two just in case the enraged fox was to escape the grasp of the other large mammals.

"When I get out I swear I'm going to kill you and that little bastard. You hear me, you're both dead." He snarled. The police officers had enough of him, so the lion shoved a muzzle on him, telling him to shut up. They proceeded to shove him in one of the Police cars and slam the door shut.

Vicky kept a blank stare, but on the inside was satisfied that this monster was getting what he deserved.

Nick on the other paw was shivering violently into his mom. Eric's threats had really shaken him and he couldn't help but fear for his life.

"Don't worry little one." Nick looked up at the tiger police officer who was smiling softly down at him. "He won't be able to hurt you or your mom anymore." Nick stared at the officer for a few moments, but eventually smiled weakly at her.

"Thank you, so much," Vicky expressed with utmost gratitude.

"No thanks necessary. I just wish you would have called the police sooner."

Vicky sighed heavily, knowing she was somewhat guilty in this. "So do I."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" The tiger offered. Vicky shook her head and told them they were going to be fine now. The officer nodded and told them to take care and wished them the best. Vicky thanked her one last time before the tiger left. Soon, all the cruisers left, taking away the evil fox, and leaving Vicky and Nick free from him.

"Come on Nicky, let's go inside and get out of this cold." The two foxes walked back into their home happier than they have been for a very long time.

* * *

McCabe and I stared at each other for awhile. I don't know how to describe his reaction, weather it was shock, anger, or sad; it was kind of a mixture of all three.

I took his advice and decided to talk about my problems, which after learning about my dad being out of jail, I needed to talk to someone more then ever. It wasn't easy trying to convince myself to confide in this wolf is don't know very well. For so many years I've bottled up all my hate, anger, and fear to hide my emotions and make it so I never let anyone see that they got to me. For the most part I've lived by the rule for so many years. Then that one text broke down my ten year wall.

When I received the text from my mom about my father, I didn't react in any way. I just sat under that tree paralyzed with fear. It took a while for my mind to actually comprehended what it had read. Slowly I began shaking violently, just like I had all those years again. I was starting to feel like that scared little kit all over again. Those final words he said to my mom and I echoed in my head. Scars from his rages started to burn, and I began to feel weak. I tried to tell myself that there was no way he'd get to my mom or me, but no matter how much I did it just came with more fear.

After I didn't text her back, mom must have gotten worried and texted Deb. She came out yelling my name, and almost instantly her eyes feel on my. I looked up at her and she gasped. I must have looked like someone who had just been shot by the way she was looking at me.

"Oh my lord, Nick. Are you alright?"

I didn't answer, just sat there stating up at her. I didn't know what to do. It felt so irrational how I was acting, but I couldn't help it. Fear had consumed me.

She took a step toward me and I flinched. I don't know why, and I didn't mean to. My mental state was breaking down and I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't take it anymore, and I didn't want anyone else to see me like this. I jumped up and sprinted my way to the house, disregarding Deb and her calls. I rushed upstairs into my room, slammed my door shut and locked it. I needed to be alone.

I felt like I was in that room for hours curled up on my bed. I had calmed down after awhile, but my mind was still clouded by the thought of my father being out on the streets. Was he really going to come looking for mom and I? Would he fulfil that promise he made so long ago? I worried for moms safety, and knew that she probably wasn't fairing any better than me right now.

Every now and then there would be a knock on my door and either Tim or Debra would ask if I was okay. Obviously I wasn't, but just to let them know I was still alive I gave them a small grunt. They'd try to get me to let them in, but I didn't want them here. I wanted to be alone.

That's when McCabe came around. He gently knocked on the door, pleading for me to open up and let someone talk it out with me. I was going to refuse like I had every other time, but my mind went back to what he said earlier. All they're trying to do is help me. Maybe I should let them. Plus, this is McCabe, I feel more comfortable talking with him more than the others

I sat thinking about it until he knocked on the door again. I sighed and slowly walked over towards the door. As I did, I looked in a mirror that was next to the door and saw how terrible I looked. My eyes bloodshot red with dirty unkempt fur. I looked like death. M appearance, though, wasn't exactly on the top of my priorities list.

I unlocked the door and opened it to see a very concerned looking McCabe. We shared a look with each other before I invited him in. I went back over and climbed onto my bed. McCabe read my mind closing the door behind him and locking it, knowing I didn't want anyone else in here. He brought over an extra chair from my room and pulled it up next to my bed.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for awhile. I had no idea where to start. I'm new to trying to share my feelings with someone.

"Deb and Tim said that your dad got out of jail today," he finally said. I tensed a little from him just saying that. He took notice and apologized for bringing it up. I didn't respond. He became more nervous after that and began fidgeting around. "They won't really tell me any details about what happened between your mom, your father and you. Maybe I could help if you told me what's wrong?" He suggested.

I scoffed and told him I doubt he could say much of anything to help. He said I was probably right, but insisted to do it anyway. I guess that was the reason I let him in, so I might as well. I took a deep breath and began to explain to him the events that happened so many years ago.

Now we're sitting here after I was done giving him my story. Not going to lye, I had to pause a couple of times to compose myself after breaking down in tears. That's the first time I had ever told that to anyone. Finnick knew my dad was an asshole, but he never knew the extent of it. Now I've just told this wolf I met only a few weeks ago.

McCabe was still at a loss for words, as I expected him to be. I knew he wouldn't be able to help me. It still felt good to talk about it, though. But I feel that's the only thing that McCabe will be useful for in this situation.

McCabe was looking thoughtfully at the ground, then mumbled something under his breath that I didn't hear. "What was that?" I asked.

He looked up and held a small smile with a few tears sitting in the corner of his eyes. "I said it's a small world." I looked quizzically at him, wondering what in the world he meant by that. "You told me your story," he sighed, "I guess it's only fair if I tell you mine." I'm still questioning what he's going on about, but I must say I'm very intrigued.

"You thought I wouldn't understand what your going through, which is true. I don't know how scared you are about your father, but I do know how it feels to be afraid. Your not the only one to have an abusive parent," he confessed.

"Your dad was abusive?" I inquired. I guess that kind of makes since. That fills in a lot of holes about McCabe.

"Actually, it was both my parents," he corrected. "My mom and dad saw me as a mistake and a waste of life," he sighed. Now it's my turn to be at a loss of words. "They were low life scum who were drug addicts, drunks, idiots, and just all around terrible mammals. I figured they just used me as stress relief. They did anything and everything to me that wouldn't raise suspicions and alert the authorities." He sounded like he'd told this story a few times because it was a lot easier for him to speak than it was for me.

He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "You might as well get comfortable, this is going to be a long story."

* * *

 **Theres another instalment of my ever growing story. I hope y'all enjoyed it and hope you like that it took less than two weeks for an update.**

 **I do ask for some advice. Should I keep writing in Nick's POV or switch over to third person. I feel like I can get a lot more detail in third person, but I think it'd be weird to switch while I'm this far into the story. I'd appreciate to hear what you guys and gals think.**

 **Thanks to everyone who read this and please leave a review. I love reading what you guys think of my story.**

 **Peace Out**


	9. Abusive World

_Life definitely wasn't kind to Nick in his first years of life with his father, but life was just plain out cruel to McCabe with the parents it gave him._

 _In his first years of life, it wasn't all that bad. His mom and dad, Emily and Colton, did at least try to keep him alive, though it was through the bare necessities. Him being an accident didn't help him either. His parents had gotten drunk one night at a high school party. They were already boyfriend and girlfriend so when things got hot they got down and dirty, and had sex without protection resulting in him. The two families forced the two to get married, and so they got unhappily married. A classic shotgun wedding._

 _It wasn't until he got older that things started getting a whole lot worse for the pup, and it wasn't older by much._

 _McCabe was barley five when he got his first taste of abuse. He'd already been neglected for nearly his whole life to that point, but he just thought that to be normal considering he didn't have much of an example to go off of; his parents never let him leave the house._

 _McCabe was just sitting in the corner, out of sight from his father, watching TV from a distance. His dad was sitting in his recliner with a beer in paw. There is only one way to really explain his appearance, and that's that he looked like standard trailer park trash. Everything was going fine, well as fine as things could be, until the wife got home._

 _You could hear her yelling obscurities before she even opened up the door to their home. The pup was definitely familiar with how this went. The two would basically have a screaming competition until one of them just had enough and left. While they did this, McCabe always covered his ears and looked at the ground, waiting for them to stop._

 _When the two finally got done, McCabe looked up to see his dad looking a lot more angry than usual. He took long deep breaths of anger, gritted his teeth, and had his paws clenched tightly. McCabe didn't know what they fought about, but whatever it was he knew it was bad. McCabe always tried to make himself as small as possible when his parents were angry, hoping to avoid their rage. Today was the first day that it didn't work._

 _In his rage, Colton happened to turn towards McCabe, and their eyes met. McCabe gulped as he saw Colton bare his teeth and heard him start to growl._

 _"This is all your fault," he shouted, storming over to his completely innocent pup. McCabe didn't do anything to retaliate, as he was petrified with fear by his enraged father. Colton yanked up McCabe roughly by the scruff, causing him to yelp in pain. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be stuck with this bitch," he spat. McCabe could only dangle, whimpering in pain, being completely confused by what was happening. Colton raised his paw, ready to strike the cub, but he restrained himself and realized what he was doing. With what little morality he had left, he restrained himself from harming his child. He gave a throaty growl before ultimately just dropping him. He glared down at McCabe for a few moments before just walking back over to his chair and dropping into it._

 _McCabe whimpered and crawled into the corner, cowering in fear. He curled into a tight ball as he cried silently to himself. He'd never felt that scared. He dared not to move in case his enraged father came back. That night he cried himself to sleep in that corner._

 _That definitely wasn't the worse thing that could have happened for McCabe, but that was only the beginning. It was sure to get a lot worse, and was only a matter of time before that little bit of morality left from Colton._

 _It was only a couple months later when things went from bad to worse. McCabe had been left alone one day, his parents off doing whatever it was they did during the day. McCabe honestly had no idea, and he didn't care. He may be young, but he already prefers to be alone, or at least anywhere that's not near his mom or dad._

 _McCabe was running around hollering with joy as he swung a stick from side to side. Not long ago he had seen a pirate movie on TV and he took a great interest into it. He ran around from room to room pretending to kill pirate skeletons who were trying to steal his treasure._

 _He was having the time of his life with this simple little thing, and it was the most fun he'd ever had; which, in all honesty, isn't saying much. Fun wasn't a thing McCabe had much of. Most of the time he sat secluded in his tiny home. Today, however, he decided to do something rather than sit around all day._

 _Unfortunately for him, he'd been having such a great time that he didn't hear the front door open. Colton was home early and he was at his breaking point. When he walked in and heard his child screaming and running around the house he became increasingly annoyed. He marched into the kitchen where his pup was at and looked at him with annoyance._

 _"What the hell is going on?" Colton shouted with growing anger._

 _McCabe gasped in shock and quickly spun around to see his angry father. That was his fatal mistake. As he turned around, his stick, that was just long enough, caught a couple beer bottles that were on the edge of the counter. They went falling to the ground and shattered on impact._

 _Colton's rage peaked to an all time high. His whole day had already been complete shit. First off, he was awoken by his devil wife screaming at him for who knows why. He sure as hell didn't have a clue. She just added to his migraine he had from his hangover. Then, he got fired from his job as a farm worker. His boss finally had enough of him showing up to work late, and hungover, drunk, or drugged up. He'd given him enough chances before just letting him go. Colton was sure to give his ex-boss a piece of his mind by cussing him out until a few of the other farm helpers had to throw him out. Lastly, he returned to his truck just to have it not start up on him. He couldn't get any help from the farm, he knew there was no way they'd lend him a paw after his out lash. He also knew his wife wouldn't help him with anything, so he was stuck with walking home five miles, which took him nearly two hours._

 _He was tired, felt like shit, and out of work. Then he comes home, hoping to just drown his stress in his last couple drinks in peace, only to find his pest pup running around screaming and waste his last beers. He was beyond pissed._

 _McCabe took a step back when he saw his dad's whole body tense up. Memories of a few months ago came back to him and he again become stiff with fear. There was nothing he could really do but wait for whatever Colton was going to do._

 _With one swift motion, Colton let out a snarl and swatted McCabe across the head, knocking him to the ground and sent him sliding across the tile floor. McCabe hollered in pain and started crying his eyes out. He clutched tightly to his face trying to ease the pain as much as possible. Terror consumed the poor pup as all he could do was lay there and wait for Colton to come up behind him and finish up._

 _Colton yanked McCabe off the floor and held him high in the air. He knew this was wrong, to be hitting a defenseless pup, but at the moment he didn't care. He felt a sense of power and authority. He didn't have that with his job, his family, or his wife. This made him feel strong and superior, so he didn't stop. He held a claw up to McCabe's throat and applied just a little pressure._

 _McCabe seethed and yelped at the pain. His breathing became more rapid and uneven as his fear level peaked. The young wolf pried at his dads paws and arm, trying to get them away from him, but it was no use. Colton was much to strong for a pup to try and overpower him. He thought before was scary, but this was just plain out terrifying. He was actually fearing for his life, wondering if his own father was going to put an end to it. He felt like he was held there forever before Colton's grip loosened on him and eventually dropped him to the ground. McCabe looked up at his dad and saw with his head in his paws, a small growl emitting from his throat._

 _"I need to get out of here," he grumbled. He quickly spun himself around and picked up the dirt bike keys, then stormed out of the house. He may have liked doing it, but he still knew how bad it was. A wave of guilt washed over him and now he felt like shit. He needed to get a drink in him fast._

 _McCabe had no idea where his father was going, and he didn't care. He ran into his small, closet sized room and closed his door behind him. He didn't have his own bed due to the size of his room. All he had were a few blankets in the corner which he crawled into and began to cry. He buried his face into his blankets to muffle sobs._

 _"What did I do to deserve having a family like this," he cried out. He knew that this wasn't right, he just knew. Nothing about it felt right or natural. He wished that he'd never see his father or mother again. But he didn't get his wish._

 _As he grew older the abuse got worse. Over time, Colton became less resistant to harming McCabe. At first it was rare for Colton to majorly harm McCabe, and he had to be extremely angry; he also always felt bad about it after, having to have a drink after it. But as the years went by, Colton became less and less of a wolf. There was hardly a time when he wasn't drunk or high. He could never find another job, so he was home all the time, giving him a chance to hate everything about his pup. Even though McCabe hardly did anything just so he couldn't upset his dad, Colton became very intolerant with everything. It was like he was looking for a reason to beat his kid._

 _Emily definitely wasn't innocent in any of this. She may have never physically harmed him in any way, but she did a number on his emotions. Naturally, McCabe felt drawn towards his her since she was his mother, but she made it very obvious she wanted nothing to do with him. She'd always tell him how worthless he was, or how she wished he'd never existed. Also, to top it all off, she knew that Colton was beating their pup, and she did nothing about it. In all honesty, she secretly wished that Colton would one day kill him. Then she'd be rid of both of the things she hated most in the world; McCabe would be dead and Colton would be in prison._

 _Eventually, it came the time for McCabe to start school. He was really over excited about it, but not to learn. He wanted to meet other animals. He'd been forced to stay on his family's property and wasn't ever able to socialize. He would see others every now and then; either he'd see them drive by, or he'd see some of his dads friends pick him up. He's never been up close with another animal, and has definitely never talked to another one. He was hoping to change that on his first day of school._

 _He had been waiting eagerly on the side of the road in front of his house for the bus to come and pick him up. He constantly looked left and right, trying to spot the large yellow vehicle. He thought that he'd finally be able to make some friends, and he was so excited about it. Sadly, his little heart would be broken._

 _He smiled widely when he spotted the bus driving down towards him. It stopped right in front of him and the doors swung open, revealing a large boar at the seat. The boar glared down at the wolf pup and told him to get in. McCabe suddenly felt really nervous about this. But he knew nothing could be worse than staying home. He took a deep breath and climbed his way onto the bus._

 _What he came into was a vehicle full of very loud children laughing, screaming, whooping and hollering. He slowly walked down the bus isle trying to find a seat. Yet, every time he attempted to sit down, one of the kids would reject him. All the kids stared at him like he was some sort of outcast, but he didn't notice that part. This happened all the way to the back of the bus, causing his head to droop more and more, until he found an empty seat. He could feel the stares as we walked until he took his seat alone, and when he looked forward everyone looked away. He sighed and was already feeling defeated in only his first few seconds. He shook his head and it was then he decided that he was just destined for nobody to like him; not his parents or anyone else. The words of his mother were seared into his mind, of how he was a mistake that brings nothing but misery. He just wished he knew why these animals didn't like him._

 _The explanation is was simple: everyone on the bus was a prey, and none of them wanted a predator sitting next to them. There was that, and then there was what he was wearing. By now, it's obvious that McCabe's parents didn't care at all for him. So it only makes sense that he didn't have any good cloths. McCabe was wearing an old pair of jeans that he'd been wearing for the past couple years. They were torn, dirty, and starting to get really tight on him. His shirt wasn't much better, considering it was just a plain white t-shirt that was also torn, and covered in dirt and food stains. He only had two other shirts, and the same with his pants; none of them were in any better condition._

 _McCabe rested his head on the seat in front of him and closed his eyes as they drove along. The bus stopped a couple more times until they reached the school. Everyone filed off and ran towards the playground to get some playtime in before the bell rang. McCabe slowly followed behind, but instead of following the others he found his own little secluded spot._

 _He sat under a large tree and silently pouted to himself. He just wished that he could have one animal to talk to, just one animal who would be his friend._

 _Actual school wasn't much better. He didn't know how to do any simple things that an animal his age should know. He didn't know how to spell, do simple math, and he could barley read. He was way behind with his education. Luckily, his teacher was nice and patient. Still, he became very frustrated that he couldn't do anything the others could. It made him feel like even less of an animal._

 _His whole year of Kindergarten, and all the way through second grade were pretty much the same. Go to school and struggle through it all day, then go back to his hellish home. It definitely wasn't The easiest of schedules to live by. But things did seem to start looking up for the pup. When third grade year started, he wasn't getting left behind in the lessons. He was actually becoming quite intelligent for a mammal of his age. After years of struggling through classes, and barley passing each year, he was starting to pull ahead of the others._

 _'Now maybe they won't pick on me' was the thought that ran through his head. It was a couple months into the third grade, and McCabe was definitely one of the smarter mammals in his class. He remembers how much he was made fun of for how stupid he was. Everyday it was constant teasing of either his intelligence. It used to hurt a lot. He went to school to get away from the torment of home, but he just found himself in the same situation, only this time in a different place. Eventually, though, he got used to it. He would shrug off the hurtful words and walk away. They all tried their hardest to hurt him with words using anything they could, but McCabe didn't think anything of it anymore. So the bullies decided to step up their game._

 _McCabe was sitting under the same tree that he went under on his first day of school. He found it to be a nice relaxing place where he could be alone. He would soon find that it wasn't going to be as peaceful. He was reading a book when he noticed a few animals coming his way. He looked up and sighed when he saw his usual bullies coming over towards him. There was a bull named Josh, who was their leader, a buck deer named Phil, and a ram named Hunter._

 _"How's it going wolfy?" Josh mocked. McCabe rolled his eyes and closed his book. He usually found it better to get it over with, or else it'd just be a lot worse._

 _"What do you want now, Josh?" McCabe asked, wondering what brilliant insults the bull would come up with today._

 _"Just wondering what the nerd is doing today," he said, taking a step towards the smaller wolf. It wasn't by much, due to their age, but Josh was definitely bulkier._

 _McCabe raised and brow at his insult. 'So now I'm a nerd,' he noticed. After years of being called an idiot, now he's being made fun of for being smart? He started to think his intelligence wasn't the actual reason for being bullied._

 _"What you reading anyway?" Josh attempted to grab McCabe's book, but he jumped back and away from him. Josh glared down the wolf, annoyed that he wasn't getting what he wanted._

 _"Just get away from me," McCabe mumbled, starting to walk away. Josh's friends looked at him, wondering what he was going to do. Josh wasn't one to not get what he wants._

 _"Don't walk away from me," Josh nearly shouted, grabbing him by the shoulder. McCabe already wasn't in the best of moods. He got woken up early to his parents fighting, then got yelled at when he got out of his room. Now he was dealing with this bully. He was becoming increasingly annoyed._

 _McCabe tugged away from him. "Leave me alone," he warned, trying to walk away again._

 _"Are you going to make me," Josh laughed, shoving him from behind. McCabe stumbled forward a few steps, lost his balance, and fell to the ground. It didn't hurt at all, but he was still getting angry. Then hearing Josh and his friends laugh made him even angrier. He started growling quietly, warning Josh. That just made him laugh harder. "Is the small wolf getting angry," he mocked, walking over to him and standing right above him. "Don't something about it you pred," he tempted, prodding him in the back._

 _That was the moment McCabe lost it. All those pent up emotions he had been building up for the past few years were finally going to be released. He let out a vicious sounding snarl as he turned around and lunged at Josh. The bull looked shocked as McCabe tackled him to the ground. He started pounding on his face, hitting him as hard as a third grader could hit. Phil and Hunter stood bewildered for a moment, before running to their friends rescue._

 _They started pulling him off, but with much effort. It took all their strength to pull the frenzied wolf. McCabe was struggling trying to keep hitting his bully but he eventually was pulled off, but not without getting one last hit. He got one of his arms free and slashed down at Josh's chest. It wasn't to deep, but it was enough to make Josh scream in pain._

 _McCabe was thrown off of Josh. He hit the ground and was still breathing hard, his rage not being doused. Luckily, they were all far away from any teacher, so no one heard anything. Phil and Hunter picked up Josh and took of running. They didn't want things to go from bad to worse._

 _McCabe watched them run away, and he couldn't help but smile, satisfied with the outcome. It made him feel good to be on the other end of a beating. 'Hopefully that keeps him away,' McCabe thought to himself._

 _He was about to pick himself up when he saw a paw extend down towards him. McCabe looked up to see a pudgy red fox with a malicious smile. "That was pretty darn vicious," the fox chuckled. McCabe was definitely suspicious of this fox, but he was seemingly friendly; McCabe took his paw and was helped up._

 _"Thanks," McCabe mumbled out. He still wasn't used to conversation, so he was shy to talk to him._

 _"No problem, pal. Ya know, I ain't never seen no one stand up to Josh like that. It was kinda cool," The fox complimented. McCabe's mood suddenly lightened up. No one ever really said anything nice to him before, unless it was a teacher but he doesn't count that, so that made his day._

 _"You really think so?" McCabe asked._

 _"Sure. That definitely put him in his place," he commented. Something didn't really feel right to McCabe, but he immediately ignored those feelings. He had a chance to have a legitimate friend, and he wasn't going to pass up that opportunity._

 _"Wow, thanks," McCabe cheered. "I'm McCabe. What's your name."_

 _"I'm Gideon. Gideon Grey."_

* * *

"Wait, so your first friend was that asshole fox?" Nick asked, a bit shocked.

McCabe shrugged, "I was lonely, and emotionally unstable," he defended.

Nick has to admit that McCabe's past was probably a little worse than his own. At least he had one parent who loved and took care of him. McCabe had no one.

"Holy hell, we've been here awhile," Nick looked over to see McCabe gazing down at his phone. "It's nearly nine already,"

"Looks like reliving childhood atrocities makes the time fly," Nick chuckled. McCabe couldn't help but laugh along.

"I did get a little carried away. I didn't mean to go on for that long. It's just that I got going and couldn't stop myself," McCabe apologized. "I should probably stop now. I can finish later, if you even want to hear it."

"Maybe at a later time. Also, I didn't want to say anything, but you did start to drag on. You seemed like you needed it though."

"Yah, coming back has brought up some bad memories. I'm still glad to be here, it can just get difficult. Nick admitted to him that he had noticed, but McCabe wasn't surprised.

"So, you okay now?" McCabe asked.

Nick took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He had to admit that this calmed his nerves immensely. "Yah, this has actually helped a lot more than I thought it would." McCabe smiled and said he told him so. Nick had a small smile; he was glad that he met McCabe. He's been a really good friend to him and he hadn't expected to meet anyone like him in Bunnyburrow.

"Well, I should get going; this has been emotionally exhausting. I need to get some sleep." McCabe said standing up followed by a yawn. He walked over to the door and was about to leave, when Nick called out his name.

"Thank you, McCabe. No one's ever taken the time to do this for me."

McCabe grinned, "No problem. If you ever need to talk again, I'll be around." With that, McCabe left.

Nick leaned back in his bed with a very happy smile. His day went from complete shit, to not as much. He was very great full to McCabe, more than he think McCabe knew.

McCabe walked downstairs, content with what just happened. He was glad he was able to lighten up Nick's day. Due other troubles in his past, he always made it his mission to make others happy.

Before he could get outside to walk to his guest house, Debra and Tim caught him at the door. They needed to make sure that Nick was going to be okay.

"He'll be just fine."

* * *

 **I don't have much to say about this chapter, other than I had a difficult time with writing it. Also, I've decided to change it to 3rd person pov. Sorry if you don't like it, but I feel like I write better that way.**

 **Thanks for everyone who reads my story, and to everyone who reviews. I enjoy all the comments I get, and I'd appreciate more. So please favorite, follow, and comment.**

 **Peace Out**


	10. Change of Heart

Nick was not enjoying this new feeling he was having. Ever since he had that conversation last night with McCabe, he was feeling guilty. His stomach was twisting in knots, and he felt a great pressure on his chest; almost like an elephant was crushing him. He wasn't confused why he was feeling this way, though. He had a pretty good idea of where his guilt was coming from. That rabbit, Judy, he had hustled his first day out here was the source of his dread.

Now why he started feeling bad about it was a whole different question. He hadn't felt the slightest bit of remorse before, and eventually just forgot about it. Now, it was the only thing on his mind. It had just started up out of nowhere when he woke up that morning. One of his first thoughts when he woke up was of Judy, and after that his day just hasn't been all that great. His mind constantly ran with the thought of her, and he couldn't just push it aside like most of his unwanted thoughts. This one was stuck with him.

He could assume that the reason for suddenly feeling this way was all that he had gone through the day before. The talk with Tim, his mental breakdown after hearing about his dad, then his long conversation with McCabe; he felt that his empathy for others grew, and that has made him feel like a real piece of shit.

The fox knew what he had to do to make this feeling go away, but it required something of him that he'd never done before, at least never sincerely. He's never actually felt the need to apologize for what he's done in the past, but now his whole world's just getting turned upside down.

"What's up with you?"

Nick was sat at the dinning table eating lunch and turned to see McCabe walking in the backdoor, having his usual cloths he wears when he works on that car. Nick still wondered why he's be working on the car to try and restore it, especially now since he learned what his parents did to him. He obviously had a reason, but Nick definitely does not understand what the reasoning behind it would be.

"How's that project going," Nick asked, avoiding McCabe's question. He may not understand his motives, but he's still interested with it. McCabe noticed that he was dodging his question, but decided to just go along with it.

"It's going great! I finally got it to actually make noise when I turn the key, so that's good," he expressed happily.

"What do you even plan to do with it when you get done?" Nick inquired. McCabe gave him a knowing grin.

"That's for me to know, and everyone else to find out when I'm finished." Nick wasn't very satisfied with McCabe's lacking answer, but he could tell that prying wouldn't work.

"You didn't answer my question, you know," McCabe pointed out. The anxious fox sighed; he was going to need his help anyway to do what he wanted.

"I need a favor," Nick said bluntly.

McCabe chuckled, "When don't you need my help." Sometimes Nick wishes he could just push the smug wolf right in his muzzle, and wipe that smile right off his face. He restrained himself for the moment, but it was still a thought in the back of his mind.

"Funny, but in all seriousness I need to do something and was hoping you could help me out?" Nick asked. McCabe realized that his friend was being serious, and decided it would be best to tone down his sarcasm.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"You, uh…" Nick was very hesitant about this. He didn't know how to actually confront Judy sincerely. The last time he saw her he was mostly just a sarcastic jerk. This was such an unusual feeling for him; for him to be so nervous was not pleasant for him. Fortunately, McCabe was patient with him. Eventually, Nick took a deep breath and composed himself. "You know where Judy lives, right?"

McCabe reared back a little in shock; He wasn't expecting that. He figured Nick wanted to talk some more, or maybe have a ride into town, but definitely not this.

"Uhh, yah, of course," he replied. "Why exactly do you need to know that?"

Nick explained to McCabe the feelings he was having. He told him how crazy it was driving him, and how guilty he was feeling. By the end of it, Nick was glaring at McCabe who was looking at him with a smug smile.

"I knew this was going to happen!" McCabe declared, matter-of-factly. Nick rolled his eyes.

"Sure you did. Now could you just take me over to the damn rabbits house so I can stop feeling like shit," Nick said through clenched teeth. He liked McCabe, but he could be an asshole at times. The amused wolf laughed and nodded his head. McCabe told Nick to go get in his truck and that'd he'd be there in a second. Nick left as McCabe looked approvingly.

"What are you all smiley about?" Debra asked, strolling into the kitchen.

"Oh you know, it's just awesome seeing the progress Nick is having," McCabe stated. Debra just nodded happily.

"It's a wonderful thing to see, isn't it? That's how Tim and I felt with you, you know."

McCabe was well aware of how his adoptive parents felt about him, and the roller coaster ride it was to have him in their home. He tends to look back now at how he acted and always cringed. He's glad those days are over, and even more glad at how he turned out. It could have been a whole lot worse if his parents hadn't died. That may sound kind of dark and terrible, but that doesn't mean it's not true. They were terrible mammals, and he was happy that he was able to have Deb and Tim as parental figures.

"So, where you off to?" She asked, seeing McCabe pick up his truck keys.

"Like you said, just going to see Nick's progress. He's finally decided to give Judy a legitimate apology."

Debra's usual small smile, grew immensely upon hearing that. "That's wonderful! I knew he'd come through eventually," She expressed happily. McCabe only grinned and nodded.

Nick waited impatiently in McCabe's truck. He kept growing more and more nervous with each passing moment. 'What the hell is keeping him so long,' he seethed in frustration. At this point he just wanted to get it over with and get back here. He was just hoping to make the feeling in his chest go away.

'Finally,' Nick thought as he saw McCabe walking out towards him. He was on his phone and smiling down at his screen. He jumped into the truck and looked over at Nick.

"I let Judy know I'm coming over. She seems happy about it, but what she doesn't know is that you're tagging along with me," McCabe explained the situation to Nick. The fox wondered if that was the best way to go about this, but decided to just go along with it.

The Hopps family farm wasn't to far from where they lived. Technically they are neighbors, but when your out this far in the country your neighbors can live about a mile away. McCabe told Nick he asked Judy to meet them at a spot on her farm. It was a place that they and their friends would hang out on a regular basis, and talk when they all went to school with each other. McCabe figured this would be a good place for talking, as well as a great place if things were to get out of paw.

Somehow, the two predators were able to make it to the spot before Judy. McCabe figured she was probably busy with something before he texted her. It wasn't to much of a problem anyway.

They got out and walked over to a large tree. On one side of it was a field of tall grass, and on the other was a small pond that was perfect for swimming in. Nick could understand why McCabe and his friends would hang out in a place like this; it was nice and secluded with good shade and a pond to take a dip in.

"Not bad," Nick stated, taking a seat under the tree.

"I know, right? I have a lot of good memories here," he smiled. For a split second he frowned, but he quickly wiped that away. Nick noticed this, and wondered if something happened here that wasn't such a happy moment. He decided to drop it considering McCabe had told him plenty about himself the night before; he didn't want to push his luck. "It's feels really good to be back here," he sighed. Nick didn't feel that he was actually talking to him, he was pretty sure it was more to himself than anything.

After last night, and now putting everything together, Nick was starting to realize just how messed up McCabe must be emotionally and mentally. He's definitely got to have some sort of lasting effects left behind from his parents and other things that was unknown to him. McCabe, Nick noticed, was really good at hiding these issues, but would tend to slip up every now and then. Nick decided It was probably good that he let McCabe talk to him. Who knows how long he was holding that in.

Nick noticed McCabe's ears perk up and figured he was hearing someone coming, most likely Judy. McCabe's smile confirmed Nick's assumption.

"Judy, how's it going?" McCabe asked. Nick was still sitting down at the tree, and was at an angle that he couldn't see her. He hasn't been thinking of her as he talked with McCabe, but now since she's back on his mind, that feeling of guilt came back.

"I'm wonderful, thanks McCabe. How's your day been?" She questioned, hugging McCabe in the process. He just smiled and said that everything's been great. When they let each other go, Judy was looking up at him with a questioning glare. She didn't even have to say anything and McCabe threw his arms up.

"Alright, you caught me," he stated. Nick chuckled at the sight of the rabbit intimidating this wolf, who was over double her size.

Judy heard the chuckle and looked over at the tree to see that red fox she had been conned by sitting under it. Her smile vanished and was replaced by a emotionless glare. She looked from Nick to McCabe, then back to Nick and finally landing back to McCabe. McCabe didn't have to be told anything to know she wanted an explanation.

"All I get to say is that he wanted to talk with you," he stated. Surprised, Judy looked over at Nick, but this time noticed he didn't have that confident, carefree look to him. Instead, it was more nervous and jittery. She looked to her wolf friend for answers, but he backed off and said that she'd have to ask him, herself. "As for me, I think I'll take a little swim." McCabe threw off his shirt and dove into the pond.

Judy honestly wasn't sure what was going on. She came here anticipating to have a nice conversation with McCabe, then ends up in a staring contest with, technically, his cousin. She saw him take a deep breath, then start to get up. He walked over slowly towards her; Judy had to admit she was still very skeptical of him.

Eventually the two were stood right next to each other. Nick tried to look her in the eyes, but failed. He couldn't bring himself to look her directly into her gaze. He wished he wasn't having these feelings so he didn't have to be here, but his emotions were forcing him to do this so he didn't feel terrible.

Judy stared up at him wondering what exactly it was that he wanted. It was obvious he was nervous about something, but she had no idea what for. Something was up, and she was curious to find out what it was.

After forever of just standing around awkwardly, Nick finally decided to just sucks it up, swallow his pride, and get it over with. "So, Judy…" he started, gaining back her attention. She had been distracted by McCabe splashing around in the water. "Your probably wondering why in the world you're here." He assumed. Judy nodded. "Well, I've been through some things recently, and it's opened my eyes up to what I've done. I've been having this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I couldn't get my mind off of you and what I did. I guess in short, I just want to say how sorry I am for what I did."

To say Judy was surprised would be an understatement. The last time she had seen this fox he'd made it quite clear to her that he had no remorse for what he did to her. Told her that it was all necessary. Now he was coming here telling her that he was sorry. No, she wasn't buying it. Someone was making him do this.

"Did you put him up to this?" She hollered over at McCabe. She didn't see it, but Nick looked a little hurt by her doubt of his apology, but he couldn't really blame her for the skepticism after how he treated her.

"Nope," McCabe responded, "This is all him," He pointed at Nick. She still wasn't very convinced by it, but with her usual kind nature she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" She questioned.

"Like I said, I've had a few things happen to me in the past couple of days that have…" he paused for a second trying to find the words to best describe what was happening inside of him. He just didn't know how to explain it without getting to deep into his life, but he decided it would be best to give her some insight.

"My dad got out of prison yesterday, and it shook me up a bit; he wasn't the kindest of mammals." As Nick said this, Judy found herself looking at McCabe who was having a fun time swimming. Nick saw this and guessed she knew about McCabe's parents. "McCabe talked to me, and it put some things into perspective. It was after that I realized I had to come and apologize for what I did."

The more Nick spoke, the less skeptical she became. She knew that she had a flaw of trusting others too easily, but this time it was different. She could hear the difference in his voice, and see a change in his actions from when he was hustling her. There was still a smidge of doubt in her, but she brushed that aside. Now it was replaced with joy for the troubled fox. She always gets happy when others overcome their problems. She was the same way with McCabe when he was troubled.

Nick wasn't exactly expecting that type of reaction. He was preparing himself to be yelled at by the small rabbit. From the way McCabe portrays her as, and the way she seems to intimidate others, he'd figured he was coming here to get verbally assaulted. Obviously, that was not the case; it seems that McCabe didn't give a good enough explanation of his friend.

"Thanks, Nick. I accept your apology," She smiled. "though I don't think I'll be able to fully trust you just yet," She told him.

"I wouldn't expect you to. It would be kind of dumb of you if you did," Nick chuckled. At this point in time McCabe was done swimming, and walking up to the two others.

"So, you two patch things up?" He asked them. The fox and rabbit looked at each other for a second, then back at McCabe with matching grins.

"Yah, we're good," Nick said. That feeling that Nick was having, much to his satisfaction, finally left him. A little bit of weight was lifted from him, and he felt good about himself for doing this, but he was still feeling large amounts of guilt. He figured that after he did this he'd feel fine, but that wasn't the case at all. He inwardly sighed and realized that all those years of scamming animals was coming back to haunt him. He was hating having this new found morality.

Judy could tell something was still the matter with Nick. She didn't actually know what was wrong with him; she could only assume that he still felt terrible for what he did. Maybe he didn't think she fully forgave him? She couldn't be sure, but maybe she could do something to make him actually believe she forgave him.

"Hey Nick, some friends and me are going to hang out later. Maybe you'd like to come along with us?" She asked him. Nick was a little surprised, but didn't have to think twice about his answer.

"Sure," he said, a little to enthusiastically. "I mean, yah, sounds good. Beats doing nothing all day."

"Wow, thanks for the invite," McCabe said with mock hurt. Judy rolled her eyes.

"Come on McCabe, you know your always invited," She chuckled. McCabe laughed along with her and told her he was only kidding.

"But yah, I'm basically his chauffeur so I'll be there. It'll be nice hanging out again, just like the good old times," McCabe said.

"It's settled then. We'll meet at the usual spot around 7." She told them. "I need to get going now, I told my dad I'd be back like five minutes ago, so see yah later," She said, bounding off. The two watched her disappear into the field as she made her way to her house. McCabe looked down at Nick with a smile. He lightly elbowed him, gaining his attention.

"What?" The fox asked, confused by the smug smile.

"Nothing, can't an animal smile?" He asked. Nick wasn't stupid, and knew there was more to it, but he knew McCabe well enough by now that he wasn't going to get that information out of him, unless he wanted to.

McCabe was just really proud of Nick. It was really mature for him to do what he did; to put aside his pride and apologize for his wrong doings. It took McCabe a lot longer to stand up to his demons, and even still today he has trouble thinking about certain things he's done in the past. Nick is special and brave in the sense that when he says he's going to do something, he does it; weather or not it's good or bad is completely up to Nick.

"We should get heading back. I'm sure Deb is going to want to hear all about this," McCabe chuckled, walking over and jumping into his truck; Nick was soon to follow.

Nick was actually really excited for tonight. The last time he'd hung out with anyone was at the begging of summer with his friends on the day before he was sent here. He had to chuckle; his mom was definitely going to make a big fuss about this. The last time he saw her, Nick had made it clear to her that he wasn't going to change at all. Now, not even halfway through the summer, he had already apologized to someone he'd hustled, as well as feeling guilty for every other mammals he'd scammed in the past. He's deeply surprises at how quickly his attitude changed in this place. In a way, it felt weird for him to be like this. Bunnyburrow has definitely made him soft.

* * *

 **Chapter 10, done. I know how a lot of you have been wanting more Judy and Nick time, so here you have it. Plus, you'll be seeing a lot more of it from here on out. Thanks everyone for reading and as always I'd appreciate a review, follow, and favorite.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	11. Night of Fun

Despite the constant nagging in the back of his head, Nick was feeling really excited about tonight. He was glad to finally be able to do something else besides staying at the house being bored out of his mind. It was actually very uncharacteristic of him to stay at home very long. Back at his real home, in Zootopia, he'd be out with friends for a majority of the time; only coming home to sleep. Oh, how he's missed that. That was one of the major things why Nick hated the idea of coming to Bunnyburrow; he had a lot of plans to hang out over the summer with his actual friends. Of course, he's come to have a certain liking for the burrows, it's just that it can't compare to hanging out with his real friends that he's known for years.

He was excited to possibly befriend new people. That was one thing he did enjoy, and that's getting to know mammals. He was the go to fox if you needed to find someone; he made it his business to get to know just about everyone. So he figured this would be a great opportunity to do that. Also, he expected tonight to be different from what he's used to. First of all, they're in a place with not many places to go, and secondly he's never really hung out with a prey. Sure, he knew some back at school; hell, he runs track with a sloth. But he never hangs out with them outside of school. He assumed this would be an interesting night.

The only bad part about it was that Debra wouldn't leave him alone about it. They kept teasing him about how he said he planned on going home the same as when he got here. That ship sure sailed away, and with his thoughts it didn't show any signs of coming back. They were making him wish time would speed up so him and McCabe could leave already. Unfortunately for Nick, they still had an hour until they had to leave to get their on time.

Nick now was sat in the front room with Deb and Christy half watching the TV, half lost in his own thoughts. Deb was sat on the ground folding up cloths and doing laundry, while Christy was watching some show Nick didn't know. It was a rarity that Nick got to watch TV since he never had one; after his dad was taken away mom sold it for some extra cash.

But Nick's mind was more preoccupied with something else to pay attention to what she was watching. That nagging in the back of his head, that was the constant thought of all those animals him and Finnick scammed. He couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined Finnick knowing that he was thinking this. Nick knew that he'd just laugh in his face, and he might have to deal with that when he gets back. He feels like he won't even be able to attempt anything with Finnick when he gets back; he can't see himself doing it again. Of course, it may be easier said than done.

Nicks mind drifted to his mom, and immediately he became five times more ashamed of what he did. The memories of his mom looking stressed and defeated resonated in him, causing him to cringe. He can only imagine the smug look he'd get from her once she finds out of his change of heart. She probably won't be too pleased to hear what lead up to his change of heart, but overall Nick knew she'd be happy.

That's when a thought popped into his head. He hasn't spoken with his mom in about a month, and he was starting to miss her. Nick suddenly got the urge to call his mom. Especially after yesterday, he figured it would be good for the both of them to talk.

Nick got up and began walking out of the room. He was almost out when Deb asked him where he was going. Nick faced her and flashed his phone, telling her he had to make a call. He walked outside where he'd get the most privacy and best service. He dialed up his mom's number, but was hesitant to press call. They didn't necessarily leave on good terms, and it's kind of a stressful time for her. It's not like he thought his mom didn't want to speak with him, it's just that he didn't know what to say. The good news would probably be the best way to go was his thinking process, and he decided that was the best plan he could come up with. He pressed call and waited for her to pick up.

There were a few rings before the fox heard an answer from the other side. There was a happy 'hello' and instantly Nick knew his mom was not fairing well. Living with her during his dads reign of terror, Nick knew when she was acting fine.

"Hey, mom," Nick greeted. There was a pause for a few moments, and Nick could of sworn he heard her release a deep breath. Since she had an old flip phone, and has decided not to put his contact in, he knew this was going to be a surprise for her.

"Thank God, Nick!" She exclaimed happily. "Are you okay? Is everything alright? Why are you calling?" She started asking a mile a minute. I smiled and laughed, delighted to hear her voice. It felt more comforting than I could of imagined.

"Calm down mom, everything's alright," I assured her. "I just felt like I needed to call you and let you know what's been going on." There was another pause on her side of the call.

"Nick? Are you feeling alright," She tried to be serious, but she couldn't hold back some giggling. This was something she least expected; to speak with Nick today. Nick has never been one to keep in contact with her through phone.

"Yah, I'm fine. At least a lot better than I could be, considering the circumstances. I should be the one asking if you're okay? I hate that your alone during this," He told her. That's been a real fear for him of her being alone; he could still remember the last words his father told them before he was taken away.

"You don't need to worry about me, Nickolas. I'll be just fine," She assured him. Nick wasn't so sure about that, but he knows how strong of a vixen she is.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you something that I thought you'd like to hear?" Nick said.

"Oh? And what would that be?" She wondered.

"First of all, you got to promise that you wont get angry," Vicki was skeptical, but decided to agree. "You might want to take a seat because this is going to take awhile." For the next little while, Vicki sat in silence as she listened to her son explain everything that happened in his time of being there. At first, she was a bit, and by I bit I mean extremely, livid from finding out that he did the one thing she told him not to do. He was lucky she had made a promise not to get mad with him, so she let him continue.

The farther Nick got into the story, the more his mom's heart softened. Then he got to the events from yesterday and today, and she had to fight to keep back the tears. This was exactly what she had been hoping for, to get her son to see the error of his ways. She knew she could count on Deb and Tim to get him to see the flaws in his life. Of course, it being this soon was something unexpected. It seems they must have really touched his heart was her thought on the situation.

"I'm actually going to hang out with that rabbit tonight," Nick stated.

Now that surprised Vicki a lot. Nicks never been too fond of any prey, not after that incident with the scouts. He'd never admitting it, but she knew he held a grudge against all prey for that night. She had tried to talk to him about it, but he'd always deny it to the point that she eventually just gave up.

"Really? Well good for you," She expressed happily. Her kit was growing up and finally maturing, and she was so proud of him. He's always been more mature than most animals his age in certain aspects, for obvious reasons. But everyone has their weaknesses, and Nick's is that he can't let that night go. Vicki saw this as a sign that he was finally beginning to let it go.

Suddenly, McCabe peaked his head out the front door and looked at Nick. "We're leaving here in a few minutes, just to let you know," he told him. Nick nodded and decided this had been a long enough conversation with his mom. He actually found that it was nice to talk to her again; it eased a bit of his stress.

"I've got to get going, mom. I'll talk to you later," he said.

"Make sure to call me more often," She demanded of him, "I want to hear how this rabbit thing plays out."

"Alright mom, I'll make sure to inform you," he chuckled.

"I love you Nickolas."

"Love you too, mom."

They ended the call and Nick let out a content sigh. That made Nick feel good, and he was definitely going to be calling his mom more. It felt nice to talk with her. He was definitely looking forward to telling her about how the night goes.

Nick walked back into the house, and followed the sound of McCabe's voice until he got back the room he was previously. Christy was still watching Tv, and it looked like Deb had just gotten done folding up laundry. Now McCabe was talking to her, telling her the plans for the night.

"Just remember to be safe, please," She asked of him.

"Aren't I always," he replied with a smug grin. Deb rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. 'Not always' she thought to herself, but all of that was in the past and it had no place here anymore.

"We're off, we'll be back later. I'll let you know if we'll be back after midnight," he told her on his way out the door. Nick couldn't help but laugh. His mom was lucky if she got a goodbye. He never realized how distant him and his mom actually were until he saw how close these animals are. It was only a short period of time he could remember that the two of them were even somewhat close; that was right after his father got arrested. It didn't last very long. He's pretty sure it was during middle school when his mom was forced to work two jobs, again. That was the fall of their relationship. Now looking back, he wishes he'd tried to be closer with her; he hoped he wasn't too late.

Driving there was actually quite enjoyable for the two. They talked with each other, joked, and had fun the whole way there. Nick was starting to make an effort to have fun. He wasn't moping around anymore, or even pretending to be happy. For the first time since being here, he was actually just letting lose.

As they say, having fun makes time fly, and the two were there in no time. They pulled up to a small building that looked like an oversized wooden shack, and immediately Nick could smell something good emanating from it. McCabe noticed this and clapped his paws together.

"Best food you'll ever have, for both preds and prey; all for a low price," He smiled. Nick chuckled at McCabe's attempt to impersonate a sales person.

They jumped out of the vehicle and made their way into the building. They entered the building and a wave of different smells crashed down on the two. It was a bit overwhelming for Nick, and he caught himself starting to drool a little. He wiped away the drool and composed himself. One thing was for sure, he couldn't wait to eat something from here.

"McCabe, my friend. Is very good to see you," an enthusiastic, obviously foreign, voice called from behind the counter. Nick looked in amazement at the size of the boar who had greeted McCabe. He was easily 5 feet tall, and he couldn't even begin to guess his weight. He's definitely the largest boar he had ever seen. Nick looked down to see him wearing an apron that read 'never trust a skinny cook' and he had to chuckle.

"Boris, it's been awhile," McCabe greeted back. Boris gave out a hearty laugh that Nick felt like it could shake down the building.

"Far too long, my friend, far too long." His gaze then went from McCabe over to the strange fox in his restaurant.

"And who would this be, McCabe?" He questioned with a raised brow. He was always suspicious of new animals in his shack.

"This is my cousin from the city, Nick," he introduced him. Nick gave a friendly nod to him and said hello.

"The city, huh? I used to live in a city myself; back in the motherland. It was wonderful until the war wiped out just about everyone and everything," he said gravely. Nick looked wide eyed at Boris not having anything to say. That was pretty dark, which is why he became confused when the boar started laughing.

"I only joke, I came here for big investment in city of Zootopia. Fortunately that went to shit, and now I'm in this great community," he boasted. Honestly, Nick had to admit he was a little lost in this conversation, so he decided to just smile and nod.

"It's been nice talking with you again, but I've got the usual crowd coming in, and I've got to save the booth," McCabe told him.

"Oh, I see. So I'm guessing you want usual then?" he asked.

"You know it!"

After that weird conversation, McCabe led Nick over to a large booth that looked like it could easily fit eight mammals around their size. Nick had to wonder who was all coming.

"You'll have to excuse old Boris. He's kind of weird," McCabe explained, noticing how lost Nick got while the boar talked. Nick just kind of brushed it off. He jokingly told McCabe it wasn't new to him, and how he'd ran into plenty of loons on the city streets.

"So where is everyone?" Nick asked, looking around and not seeing his new rabbit friend anywhere.

"They'll be here in a minute, you need to have patience." Nick rolled his eyes, he has plenty of patience.

Nick took a look around for a second and noticed that this place didn't look the greatest. He thought the inside would look a little better, but the interior walls resembled the exterior; same goes for the ceiling . The floor looked better, but that wasn't saying much; it was hard wood that looked hand made, and not by someone skilled. He felt like any kind of inspector would have a field day with this place. Hopefully it wasn't just the smell of the food that's good, and maybe that would take his mind off the fact this place seemed like it was going to collapse down around him any second.

The two predators knew that Judy and the others arrived before they even saw them, thanks to Boris's booming voice. He gave his newly arrived guests a warm welcome, as he did with Nick and McCabe. He told them that the two had already arrived and were saving their usual spot. Nick glanced at the group walking towards them, and he recognized a couple of them. There was Judy of course, which he's gotten quite familiar with, then there was that other rabbit and fox, Jack and Skye, he had met on his first outing with McCabe. When those two spotted Nick, they seemed a bit surprised.

"Seems that we'll be two short," Judy said, hopping up into the booth and moving over by McCabe. "Sharla said that she and Ben wouldn't be able to make it." Judy was a little down about it; she was hoping that they'd get the whole gang back together and have some fun like the good old times. It's been a couple years since they'd done that; not since McCabe graduated and left.

"Wait, so did they actually get together finally?" McCabe asked, intrigued. Judy nodded with a smile.

"Yah, it was last summer that Ben finally asked her on a date. Those two should have been together since middle school," She chuckled, getting everyone except for Nick to chuckle. He just sat there not knowing what they were talking about.

"Well, we filled one of their spots," McCabe pointed out, giving Nick a light pat on the back. There was no response, only awkward silence. Lucky for Nick, he'd learned not to let that kind of stuff bother him.

"Wow, such a warm welcome," he joked. He figured that was his best bet with breaking the awkwardness. Humor is always the best tool.

"Sorry, Nick," Judy apologized, "I'm still getting used to you, and those two aren't very happy with you," She stated shyly, feeling embarrassed for her, and her friends actions.

She did want to be friends with this fox, he had just made that hard for her. Nick understood this, and he didn't hold anything against her. As for the other two, he guessed Judy explained everything to them and they were angry about him being a jerk to their friend, and also for lying to them. Again, he didn't blame them. He'd be pretty angry if someone messed with one of his friends, and he knows that Finnick would be livid if someone messed with him; not that he'd ever admit it.

"I see, well I feel as though I'm not really wanted," Nick assumed, which was half right. Jack and Skye definitely wished he wasn't there, but McCabe wanted him there and Judy wanted to get to know him better so that she could trust him.

"No, Nick, your fine," Judy told him, as McCabe gave the others a death glare and mouthing to them to be nice. It was Skye that first gave into McCabe's demands, and in turn forced Jack to do the same; all unseen by Nick. Eventually, everything got fine and they started having normal conversation.

Nick was definitely excluded from the first conversation as they gossiped about their friends. He just sat back and browsed his phone until they decided to change the subject. It just so happened that the subject changed over to him.

"So Nick," Judy called over to him, getting him to glance up from his phone, "What's it like in the city?" She asked almost a little to enthusiastically. Nick didn't notice, but everyone else had knowing smiles on.

"I mean, I guess it's okay," he started, not really knowing what to say. "It does have its own beauty to it depending on where you are and when your there. Tundra Town during Christmas is definitely worth seeing, and Downtown during the night is just breathtaking," Nick explained. He never realized just how amazing the city he lived in actually is. He guesses living where he does just happens to put a little damper on his opinion of the place. That, and a few other reasons.

"How about the animals there?" she inquired. Nick wondered why she wanted to know all this, but guesses she was planning to go to college there or something.

"I'm not really the one you should be asking about the animals there fluff," he half-heartedly laughed. There were few he liked and could trust, then there were all the rest. Judy looked quizzically at him, wondering what it was that he meant.

"Most animals I meet are, for lack of a better word, jerks. You thought I was mean to you when we first met, just try being a fox living in Zootopia," he scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Skye asked, since she herself was a fox, and she was actually thinking of going to college in Zootopia.

"You guys must have it good here?" Nick wondered aloud, all but McCabe wondering what he was going on about. McCabe has been to the city, being there for college, and has experiences in what Nick is talking about. But he hasn't experienced it in the degree of Nick. Preds get treated unfairly all the time, then just add a fox in there and you give the perfect thing to hate.

"There's a clean line between prey and preds. The city loves to advertise that it's the best place to live for diversity, which is only half right. You'll definitely find a wide variety of mammals there's no doubt about that, but the tolerance level for everyone is usually pretty low," Nick chuckled. "Being a predator is bad enough, but being a fox is like frosting on a cake. I'm usually seen as a thief, liar, untrustworthy, and so many other things." Nick hadn't noticed, but he started going on a bit of a rant. This was everyday life for him that he'd gotten used to by now, but the others seemed to be shocked. Sure, preds and preys tend to have their differences around here, but they were mostly friendly with each other.

"Not to be rude, but isn't that exactly what you did to Judy?" Jack pointed out.

"Yah, and I've done it dozens of times before that," Nick admitted, "But I've been called these things way before I did those things. That's why I started in the first place. If that's how the world's going to view me, why not give them what they want?" He finished, taking a sip of the drink he'd gotten mid-rant from one of the servers.

"Well, aren't you just a downer," McCabe nervously chuckled after an awkward pause.

"She asked," he shrugged. Judy had on a blank expression, and none of her friends could really tell what she was thinking. They decided it be best to change the subject and get off the topic of 'that'. Nick saw that he was making them uncomfortable and decided to go along with the change.

"So McCabe, do you have anyone special in your life?" Skye asked. This snapped Judy back into reality as this was an interesting topic between the friends. All of them eyed the wolf expectantly. McCabe just gave off a frustrated sigh.

"I swear, I can't be held responsible for what I do to all of you if you keep this up," he told them threateningly. This had been going on since almost day one of their friendship. Of course, only knowing these animals for a very short time, Nick had no clue what they were talking about.

"Could someone please fill me in on what's up with McCabe and his love life?"

McCabe was about to answer that question, but before he could the booming voice of Boris rang in their ears and the boar walked up to their table and passed out their food. For the prey, it was a large plate of fruit salad, which the rabbits looked at hungrily. Then for the preds, it was a very delicious smelling bug burger. Nick awed at the size of the thing, never seen a burger that big before, and the smell was almost intoxicating to him. He saw the other two predators chomping down on their food, so he decided to join them. As he bit down into the burger, he felt himself get carried away in the flavor. Never had he tasted anything that good. Nothing in Zootopia, no matter how fancy, could compare to this.

"Aww, Boris knew you'd like it. I could see it moment you walk in. You are welcome here anytime," he smiled and walked away. Nick never knew he could meet someone who seemed so happy.

"Anyway," McCabe said with his mouthful. He swallowed down his food and continued, "What I was going to say before I WAS RUDELY INTERUPTED," he shouted over at Boris, who in return replied saying something in Russian that no one understood. "These morons, for whatever reason, seem to think that I'm gay," he revealed. Nick took a shard breath in and nearly chocked on his food because he was trying to laugh. McCabe growled softly and rolled his eyes.

"You never did date anyone in High School," Jack pointed out.

"I didn't have to, dating is pointless in High School," he defended himself.

"And your lack of talking to girls?" Skye prodded.

"I had a lack of talking to anyone, thank you very much," he crossed his arms, "I'm not gay, alright. Besides, my days of loneliness are over. I have a girlfriend." He grinned, causing all of their jaws to drop, except for Nick who was still trying to contain his laughter, and failing horribly.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Judy playfully mocked.

"So who's the unlucky girl?" Skye teased, getting a glare from the lupine.

"Her name is Abby, I met her up at college a few months ago. We went on a few dates and then we decided to make it a thing." McCabe explained with a soft smile. He didn't want to admit it to any of them, but this girl was o e of the best things to happen to him.

"So, what's she like?" Judy asked intrigued.

McCabe looked down at his phone for a second and saw the time. "How's about I tell you when we get to the fire, it's time to start heading over there," he pointed out.

Everyone let out a fake disappointed groan, wanting to hear more about McCabe's personal life. Nick looked at McCabe wondering if he had heard him right. Did he just say something about a fire? He shrugged and guessed it was something they did around here, considering there was barley anything else.

They all pages for their meals and got into their respective vehicles, then drove for about thirty minutes way into the backcountry miles away from anyone else. When they got to where they wanted to be, Nicks gaze fell on the giant stack of wood that was stacked about five feet into the air.

"Holy hell, what's with the huge stack?" Nick wondered aloud.

"What, never been to a bonfire before city boy?" Judy asked playfully, bounding up from behind him.

"The only fires I see are from homeless mammals trying to stay warm," he said, receiving unquestioning looks from the others. He wasn't to phased from their looks.

It was now dark with only the moon illuminating their surroundings. Nick, Judy, Skye, and Jack were all day down on logs as they watched McCabe dump gasoline all over the wood. Nick didn't think that was too safe, but none of the others seemed to be worried about it, so he assumed they've done this before. McCabe tossed aside the now empty gas can and held of a box of matches.

"Let there be fire," he shouted, striking a match and throwing it at the pile. Immediately, the wood became engulfed in flames and a wave of heat blasted from it.

"Finally, I've been looking forward to this all day," Judy sighed contently, getting a collective nod from the group.

"So, now that we're here, you mind telling us about your girley friend," Skye teased, as he walked and sat next to them.

"How about before that, we talk about your relationship?" McCabe averted to her. Skye tensed up and started looking nervous.

"I- I have n-no idea what you're t-talking about," she stuttered, only causing him to smile wider.

"Really? Well before I go on, I'll give you a lesson about wolves. We have a very acute sense of smell, and I'm able to smell individuals scents very clearly, and you have a certain someone's scent so over you," he lectured, getting Skye to tense up more and more. No one was paying attention to him, but Jack was also becoming increasingly stressed.

"So I ask, how long were you two going to keep your relationship a secret?" McCabe asked at Skye and Jack. Judy's eyes widened and looked at the two.

"Is he serious?" She asked.

The two looked at each other shyly and nodded their heads. "Yah, it's true," they said taking hold of each other's paws.

Judy squealed in delight and bounced over to the two. "I knew you'd two would make a good couple. When did this happen?"

"Remember when we stopped fighting?" Jack asked, "It was a little after that. When we actually started hanging out, we found that we had a lot more in common and we just got it off." Judy seemed to be very happy for the two, and McCabe was just happy with himself, but the couple didn't seemed nervous still.

"Please don't tell anyone," Jack pleaded to them. "You know how animals around here can be with stuff like this. The only reason we admitted it to you guys is because we know how you guys are."

Judy and McCabe nodded. "Of course you guys, we wouldn't want to put you in any trouble," Judy insisted.

"Thanks, we knew we could trust you guys. It's just terrifying, you know. Couples like us don't tend to get treated good." Everyone knew what they were talking about. There's a lot of things mammals find to hate.

"Now, back to you McCabe," Skye said, deflecting it back to him. McCabe said fine and was going to tell them, when his phone started to ring. He took it out and smiled at seeing who it was.

"Speak of the devil," he said, "I've got to take this." He stood up and walked back over to the truck and hopped in.

"So much for that," Skye sighed in disappointment. She really wanted to prod into his love life. It was a few minutes of nothing that got her to stand up. "I'm board," she stated, grabbing Jack by the arm and pulling him towards her car. "We'll be back," she said. Jack just looked back at them and gave a shrug. That just left Nick and Judy alone by the raging fire.

"Sooo , what do you think they're doing?" Nick asked with a little laugh. Judy looked a little disgusted, but ended up laughing too.

"Hopefully nothing they'll regret," Judy said.

"Hey, Carrots, can I ask you something?" Judy looked over at Nick wondering if he was talking to her.

"Did you just call me carrots?" she asked.

"Yah, I guess I did. I tend to give all my friends little Nick names. It's just a thing I do," he told her.

"Oh, so what's McCabe's, I've never hear you call him anything" she asked.

"Yah, I called him midnight once, and he got really pissed and said if I called him that again he'd rip my tail off. So I decided to stick with McCabe," he chuckled, also getting a laugh from Judy.

"Yah, McCabe can get a bit violent at times. His past can explain that," she said. Nick nodded knowingly.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you why your so intrigued with Zootopia?"

"Oh, that," she said a little shyly. "Well, your probably going to laugh at me, but I really want to be a cop there," she said beaming with pride. To say Nick was surprised would be an understatement. His first natural reaction was wanting to laugh at such a silly thought. Come on, a bunny being a police officer is such a large city, shed get killed within a week. But just the look on her face told him how important it was to her. So he suppressed the laugh and decided to ask her about it.

"Well, it's actually been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I would wear around this police costume and pretend all the time. And I was harassed badly for it," she chuckled at the memories. "No one believes that I can do it, and I have to admit I do have my doubts at time, but I've always told myself I was going to make it no matter what." Still, this rabbit continued to amaze him. As she continued on telling him about her past troubles with her dream, Nick thought back to that one night that shaped his entire life. He'd given up hope that night, and this bunny had gone through a similar ordeal yet she managed to push through. This was some rabbit.

"So Yah, when I graduate I plan on going to the academy and hopefully make it through."

"I hope you do that," Nick told her, being one hundred percent sincere. Judy gave a look of joy hearing him say that. It was the first time she told someone that and they didn't immediately laugh in her face.

Nick felt something as he sat there with Judy, he pushed it aside as a feeling of admiration for her, considering everything she has done and what she plans to achieve; it's impressive. But deep down he could tell, it was something a little more than that.


	12. That Bunny

Nick thought that he had it bad before. All the stress and guilt from scamming Judy was terrible to the point he couldn't take it anymore and had to apologize. Sure, it all worked out in the end and they become somewhat friends. He even met a few new people he could kind of call friends. He was feeling fine, guilt free and his emotions were stable; for about a day.

He wasn't feeling guilt this time; no, it is a hundred times worse. Plus, it's something he never expected to have trouble with, not with a bunny. Never in his life did he ever expect to be crushing on a rabbit, and it was bad. Nick couldn't keep his mind off Judy before, but now it was constant for a whole different reason.

Nick was sat under that large tree, lying his head down at the base of it. He found that this spot was his favorite to just come relax under and think about things. Most things he thinks about now is change. He never could have thought that everything in his life would change so rapidly. From feeling guilty for what he does, to loving a bunny; if someone were to tell him four months ago that this is where his life would end up, he'd laugh in their face and walk right on by. He thought he'd never be broken in his ways. Unfortunately, he never thought he'd meet McCabe or Judy. McCabe had some help from Tim and Debra, but it was mostly the wolf that got him to see the error of his ways. Having him to talk with really helped him, more than him or anyone could ever imagine. Probably more than even Nick knows about yet. Then there's Judy. The rabbit was doing something to his heart, but he just doesn't know how to explain it. He just has this unexplainable attraction for this small town bunny.

He exhaled heavily, Man, for not letting anything get to me for years, I'm sure letting my emotions tear me apart now Nick though to himself.

Suddenly, there was a mechanical screech, that made Nick shoot up and cover his ears in pain, followed by a loud shout of victory. Nick could only imagine what was going on with McCabe in that barn. It was just the two of them home this late afternoon day; Tim was off at work, while Deb was spending time with her friends, and Christy and Robin were off doing whatever.

Out from the barn burst McCabe, jumping around with joy. Nick looked at him with amusement, but was also curious as to what had him all hyped up. Obviously it has something to do with that car of his, but he didn't know what.

"Hey," Nick called over to the wolf, catching his attention. McCabe spun towards the curious fox with a huge grin. "What's going on?"

"I've finally done it!" McCabe exclaimed, happily hopping over to Nick. "I finally got that damned car to start. I'm finished working on it!" he cheered, jumping up and punching his fists into the air.

"That's what that horrendous sound was?" Nick asked.

"I didn't say it was pretty, I'm just glad it starts. This moment has been years in the making!"

"Well, congratulations," Nick offered.

"Why thank you, thank you very much," McCabe said, giving a mock bow.

"So now what are you going to do with it?" Nick inquired. McCabe gave a devilish smile, creeping the fox out just a bit, then telling Nick he'd let him know tomorrow.

"We're going to take it for a drive, then the fun will begin," McCabe told him, rubbing his paws together.

"Alrighty then. You're a weird one, you know that," Nick told him, getting a half shrug in response.

"I could be worse," he pointed out; Nick had to give that to him.

"So, what are you doing out here?" McCabe asked the obviously distressed fox. Nick saw that McCabe knew something was off with him and silently cursed. Damn him, Nick thought to himself; the wolf has a way of reading the emotions of others very well.

"Just chilling under the tree," Nick replied innocently, but he knew he wasn't fooling anyone. McCabe just gave him a look and the fox knew there was no getting out of this.

"It's Judy, isn't it?"

Okay, now Nick is impressed. How in the hell could he have ever of known that? From the look Nick was giving him, McCabe assumed he was right with his assumption.

"You're probably wondering how I knew that aren't you?" He questioned, getting Nick to nod in response. Nick could feel the sudden mood shift, and it made him a bit uneasy. McCabe let out a soft sigh and stared longingly for a moment. He went over to the tree Nick was sat by, took a seat, and gestured for Nick to join him.

"Story time with McCabe, my favorite," Nick joked as he sat beside the wolf. McCabe gave a slight grin, but his mind was no doubt on something else.

"You like her, don't you?" McCabe shot right out the gate. Again, Nick looked at him bewildered, but the wolf didn't give him a chance to respond. "It's a lot more obvious than you may think," he chuckled.

Nick gave him a nervous grin, "Really?" He wondered.

"Yah. It seems Mr. Hides all his emotions, isn't as good at it as he thinks he is. Plus, it helps having some experience with it." McCabe looked down to the grass, staring at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world. His ears were pressed to his head and tail wrapped around his torso to where he could hold onto it. Nick recognized this from when McCabe told him about his past; he was nervous. Nick had a slight idea of where this was going, and it kind of surprised him. McCabe didn't seem like the type of mammal to be into that; of course Nick didn't think he was into it either, until he couldn't get her out of his head.

"I used to have a thing for Judy, and it was no small crush, nor was it any lustful thinking; it was pure and genuine love. I really loved that rabbit, more than I'd really like to admit. We were really close my last couple years in high school; which was odd considering our past. I'm not going to go into to much detail because that's the personal part of my life I don't really want to share. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I know how you are feeling, Judy has a way of doing that to others," McCabe continued to look longingly in space, the lupine wearing a sad smile.

"You never told her, did you?" Nick figured. By the way he was talking about it either he was rejected, or he just never told her.

It took awhile for McCabe to answer, the pain of regret painted all over his face. "No, I didn't." He replied with a shaky breath. "And not knowing what could have been haunts me to this day."

Nick felt a sudden uneasiness come over him. He thought as though he might be treading into a part of McCabe's life that may make him a bit more hostile towards the fox. He had loved Judy before Nick knew she even existed; he just doesn't want any bad blood between them.

"And your feelings about me liking her?" Nick asked slowly, as if he said it too quickly then the wolf would go off like a bomb. Luckily, he didn't. Instead he seemed calm about it, and even put on a legitimate smile.

"My feelings for her are long gone. I still loved her, but it's more like how a brother loves his sister. I have somebody else in my life now anyways. This just tends to brings up a lot of bad memories, lots of long night's, and so many regrets," he stopped talking for a moment and composed himself once again. "Anyways, I wouldn't be against you going out with her. I will tell you she does have a liking for other species, so you're good there. Just don't be like me and keep those feelings to yourself, it's not a fun thing to do." Nick smiled brightly, confidentiality. He knew what he would be doing this weekend.

"But," McCabe exclaimed, rolling over to meet Nick face to face, "If you ever hurt her in any way, I don't care that we're cousins, I will shred you to pieces." McCabe had his hackles raised, teeth barred at the much smaller, weaker fox. Usually, when McCabe did this it wouldn't really affect him, since they were empty threats, but Nick saw the seriousness in the wolfs eyes and he could honestly say that he was scarred.

"Alright, no problem," Nick gulped.

McCabe smiled and patted him on the head, "Good boy."

"So now that we're done with that," McCabe said as he got up, "I need to run to the store to get some supplies for tomorrow," he evilly cackled, starting to rub his paws together again.

"Still weird and creepy," Nick called out to him as McCabe got into his truck.

"I know," he replied, turning on the engine and taking off down the driveway.

Nick watched the truck drive down the road towards town until it was out of sight. He let out a content sigh and lied his head down on the base of the tree. He smiled happily and closed his eyes; everything just seemed to start working out now. He has a great friend, great family members, he's strengthened his relationship with his mom, and he finally felt truly happy. Yep, everything was coming up Nick.

Unfortunately for the fox, he was brought away from his slight moment of nirvana when he heard soft crying. He opened one of his eyes just in time to see his cousin, Robin, sprint through the front yard into the house. A couple weeks ago, he would have thought anything of it, and would've left it for someone else to deal with; however, now he felt compelled to go and figure out what was wrong. Also, no one else was there, and Robin seemed to be really upset about something.

Nick picked himself up off the ground and made his way to the house. Him and Robin didn't have a very strong relationship, but Nick thought this may help with anything bad between them.

 **I felt it time to start writhing again for this story, so sorry for all those who have been waiting. To be honest, I lost interest in it for awhile and didn't feel like writhing anything. Instead I turned my focus over to another story that may or may not be coming out soon.**

 **Sorry for such a short chapter, I just needed to get it out. I hope the next one will be longer, a little more detailed, and come out much sooner.**

 **Thank you everyone who has read my story so far. I always appreciate a good review, or bad review, or any review in general.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	13. Stress Relieve

Nick casually walked up the stairs and went over to Robins room. He could hear quiet sobbing coming from the other side of the room and couldn't help but feel bad for his younger cousin. On his way up here, he thought of how he should approach this. Him and Robin aren't very close, in fact he's pretty sure that the kid doesn't even like him; with everything that Nicks done it's not that surprising. Even if that is true, he isn't going to turn away from this. Nick wants to make sure he's fine and that nothing to serious has happened.

Nick knocked on the door and waited for a response. At first there was nothing but silence; even the crying had stopped. _Well at least I know I have his attention_. Nick knocked again, this time calling Robins name. "I know your in there. I just want to talk, you seemed kind of upset when you came running into the house." Nick didn't want to let him know that he saw him crying, he didn't want to embarrass the poor guy.

He waited again for any kind of response. "Go away," He barely heard from an obviously distressed voice.

"Come on now, Robin, don't be like that. I just want to help," Nick said.

"Even if I did, you wouldn't understand," Robin barked. Nick rolled his eyes, _that's such a teenager answer,_ now he knows how his mom feels whenever she tried to get him to open up.

"You'd be surprised," Nick tried to convince, again receiving silence. "Trust me when I say that it's better to talk about it rather then trying to keep it to yourself, your brother taught me that."

After a while of getting nothing he figured he wasn't going to get anything from him, but at least he tried; no one can hold that against him. He turned around to leave, but was stopped when he heard pawsteps leading up to the door; it was unlocked, and a small fox head with bloodshot eyes peaked out around it. Nick gave his smaller cousin a reassuring smile letting him know he was there to help in any way he could. Robin steeped back from the door and swung it all the way open; Nick walked in and closed the door behind him to give the two some privacy. Nick scanned the inside of the room, this being his first time in here and curious as to what it looked like. The walls were littered with posters of different types of cars, he also saw multiple pictures of Robin with McCabe… and just McCabe. Nick thought for a moment, putting two and two together, _Seems McCabe has a bit of an admirer._

"Why are you doing this," Nick was brought away from his thoughts to look back at his upset cousin. Robin was looking up at the older fox suspiciously with arms crossed. He doesn't trust Nick, not after he heard what he did to Judy. He thinks of him as a no good criminal giving foxes a bad name. He felt as though somehow this was some kind of trick in order to get some sort of gain; he's just not quite sure how.

Nick gave a simple shrug; contrary to what Robin thinks, Nick doesn't expect to gain anything from this- well maybe his trust and friendship. Nick was just doing this because he felt compelled to. "No real reason, honestly. You just looked like you needed some comfort."

"Well I don't," Robin barked, lashing out at Nick. Nick didn't react to that, he knows that his cousin is just upset.

"Then why'd you let me in?" Nick questioned. Robin had no reply for that, so instead he continued to glare at the 'criminal' harshly. He didn't want to tell this guy anything, but at the same time the kid needed to have someone there for him; unfortunately for Robin, it just so happens that Nick is the only one around today. He much rather prefer McCabe over this fox. "Come on, you let me in here, you must want to tell me at least part of what's bothering you."

Robin glanced back and forth between Nick and the floor, thinking if he was actually going to confide in him, and for some reason he felt that he should. He didn't know why, but it was kind of a gut feeling that Nick might actually help him out. "Its my friends," Robin finally admitted with a shaky sigh. At least he thought they were his friends, but after today he doesn't think he has anymore friends anymore.

"Did they do something to you?" Nick asked, a familiar feeling coming to him.

"They… they said a lot mean things," Robin answered, the memories of earlier that day coming crashing back into his mind, causing the tears to make their way back to his eyes. "They called me a dirty no good fox, and they said I'm going to end up in jail when I grow up." He shuttered, "At first I thought they were just messing with me because we always say those kinds of things, but they just wouldn't let up and there was no laughing. Finally they just told me to leave and they chased me off." He cried out. Nick couldn't believe that someone who was his friend would do that, it just seemed so terrible. Robin was clearly flustered from the entire thing, and rightfully so. Interestingly enough, though, Nick actually did have a similar experience; the same event that helped shape his life for the past decade.

Nick outstretched his arm and rested his paws on Robins shoulder to help comfort him. He remembers crystal clearly how he felt that night with the scouts. He had trusted them and hoped to be their friend. He wanted so badly to be apart of their group, to be accepted; all of that went out the window moment's after he entered the building.

"It'll be alright," Nick tried to assure him, "It'll get better, and you'll always find new friends." The older fox's thoughts turned to all his friends he had now, mostly Finnick. He never actually realized how much better his life had gotten after that night. He always thought that his life sucked, and that the whole world was against him; besides being refused service and called some speciest slurs every now and then, his life hadn't been that bad. The parts where he wasn't being bored to death at school, or scamming animals, all the other moments weren't really that bad. Slowly, but surely, Nicks perspective on his entire life was starting to do a full 180.

"But I've known those guys since kindergarten, we've grown up together for most of our lives." Robin complained.

"Well if they treated you like that, then maybe you shouldn't even be friends with them. If someone did that to me I definitely wouldn't want to be their friend." Nick argued.

"I guess," Robin saw the logic in his words. Nick still saw how depressed he was looking; he recognized that look, it was like looking at himself all those years ago. He knows now that his response to after that was the wrong thing to do and he doesn't want Robin to follow that same path. _Maybe_ he thought _maybe a little story pulled from my life will help_.

"I was actually in a similar situation," Nick told him. The look he got told him that Robin didn't believe him. "Seriously! I was 8 and I wanted to become a scout for whatever reason. It didn't turn out well for me. My night ended with me being shoved to the ground, a muzzle shoved on me, then me running out crying my eyes out." It was so long ago, but it was still fresh in his mind.

Robin was taken back, not sure what to think of Nick. First of all, he wondered if that was even true; secondly, if it is true then where was he going with it. "That's a sad story and all, but what's your point?"

"My point is I've been where you are, I've felt what your feeling, and I've thought what your thinking. The way I coped wasn't in mine, or anyone else's best interests. Stuff like this can really get to an animal and I just want you to know don't be like me. You don't really seem like the kind of fox who'd do the things I did, but neither did I." Nick spoke purely and genuinely from his heart, he wanted Robin to know he had messed up, and he wanted him not to make the same mistake.

"For the past ten years I've lived by a simple rule," _Well, technically two but he doesn't need to know about the other one_. "You never let anyone see that they get to you."

"So, I just bottle in all my emotions?" Robin asked. That made Nick think about all the times instead of actually facing his feelings, he just shoved them aside and played it off. In the end it wasn't really the smart thing to do- in the end causing him to have an emotional breakdown- so it's not really something he'd suggest.

"No, don't do that. That'll lead you down a dark road that you don't want to travel down, trust me on that. Just don't give them the pleasure of seeing you hurt by their words. No matter how many names they call you, no matter how much they scream at you, don't give them the satisfaction of seeing their words affect you." A shroud of silence fell over them as they stared at each other. Nick hoped that he had gotten his point across; he's not the best motivational speaker there is, but he just hopes he helped somehow.

"You have a long, complicated, messed up life don't you?" Robin finally asked with a small laugh, finally lightening the mood in the tension filled room.

Nick gave a slight chuckle and nodded, "Its not all that bad. It could definitely be a whole lot worse."

"Thanks, Nick…" Robin expressed with a little reluctance. He still doesn't fully trust the older fox- which Nick could tell, and doesn't hold it against him- but he was still thankful for him to take the time to come in and have a little heart-to-heart. "

"No problem, now if you'll excuse me I'm going to see if your brothers home yet. I'm getting bored around here." Nick walked up to the door and opened it before turning back around to Robin, "If you ever need to talk again you know where to find me."

Robin felt that this was probably a one time thing, but thanked him again anyway for the kind offer. _Maybe he has changed_? The young fox thought. Nick had just left him room when Robin started getting a phone call. He rolled his eyes, _Who calls people these days_? He wondered as he dug into his pocket for his phone. He brought it to his face and at first had to double check who it was. "Great," he murmured softly to himself, "gonna have to go through this again." He was hesitant to answer at first, but he was curious to hear what this mammal had to say to him. Then, with Nicks words of wisdom still fresh on his mind, he answered the phone.

That made Nick feel good. There's no simpler way to put it, that gave the fox a little sense of something that he didn't really know how to explain. All he knew is that doing that put a smile on his face. This felt nice, interacting with others on an emotional level instead of pushing everyone away. He never thought that his 'punishment' would work out so well for him.

Nick made it to the bottom of the stairs just as McCabe came through the front door holding a large plastic bag full of stuff he couldn't see. Nick questioned the wolf about it, getting him to give an evil grin.

"This is the 'fun' I was talking about." McCabe stated. He still wasn't going to let the fox know until they got to a spot he has previously chosen, but Nick would find out sooner than first anticipated. "There is a change of plans, though. Instead of tomorrow, we're going to do it tonight. It just works better for everyone's schedules. So Whenever everyone gets home we'll head out." The wolf explained.

"Head out where?" Nick complained. He didn't like being kept in the dark about this. The anticipation of it all was starting to drive him crazy. Which was one of the reasons McCabe was keeping him out of the loop; he likes messing with the fox. So instead of answering, he just grinned and walked past him and out towards the guest house. "You are really annoying about that," Nick growled loud enough for McCabe to hear.

"Got that right!"

"So, now what am I going to do?"

A few hours later and Nick found himself riding shotgun in McCabe's fixed up hunk of junk. He may have got it to run, but it didn't do it smoothly; the engine sounded like it was a bunch of screws and nails bouncing around in a tin can, and the max speed was around 40 miles an hour. Yah, it wasn't the best fix up, but it made the wolf happy, and whatever he was going to do with it made him even more excited.

Behind them was a convoy of much better sounding, and looking vehicles, following McCabe to what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. The most exciting thing for Nick about this was that Judy was invited along. This gives the vulpine a chance to ask Judy on a date. He got to wondering if she'd actually agree to it, given how he treated her, but he was wanting to take McCabe's advice and not regret not asking her.

Just like Nick, everyone who was tagging along had no idea what was going on. Everyone, save the wolf himself, is in the dark about McCabe's intentions. His parents, siblings, and his closest friends were all wondering where McCabe was taking them, and why he was taking them there. Whatever it is, it seems to be important to him.

Finally, after almost an hour of driving, McCabe pulled into a large field with nothing in sight for miles. Everyone stopped behind them and got out of their vehicles. McCabe stood leaning against the trunk of his car as everyone surrounded him. Nick decided to take his spot next to Judy. "Do you know what this is all about?" Judy asked the fox.

"No idea," Nick shrugged, "I don't think anyone does," He inferred.

"Its obvious you're all wondering why I brought you out to the middle of nowhere. Well, back a few years ago in that very dark time of my life when I was seeing that therapist she suggested I fix up this car," McCabe explained as he patted the his vehicle. Everyone except for Nick knew what he was talking about. Nick had no idea McCabe saw a therapist. _I guess I shouldn't really be surprised._

 _"_ But that was only the first part of finishing my therapy," he stated. He turned around and opened the trunk, pulling out the bag that he wouldn't Nick. Then out from the bag he took a couple plastic containers that Nick didn't recognize. Everyone else, however, seemed to know exactly what it was. "Some good old tannerite, 30 pounds of it" he smiled deviously.

"Tannerite?" Nick questioned.

"Explosives," Judy told the confused fox. She herself was stunned about it, and Nick finally understood what was going on.

"You're going to blow up your car?" Nick exclaimed.

"You got it. Such a big explosion," McCabe cackled.

"Why?"

"Stress relieve," McCabe said nonchalantly. Then from out of the trunk he pulled a large rifle to shoot and detonate the tannerite. "I'll be right back," he smirked, getting back into his car and drinking it into a valley about 200 yards away for safety reasons.

"Well, I was not expecting this when I woke up this morning," Nick admitted.

"Same," Judy agreed, followed by everyone else.

Nick looked down at the bunny and thought that this was his time to ask. He figured he wasn't going to get a better chance than now. "Hey Judy, can I talk with you over here?" The fox asked his love interest.

"Uh, sure," Judy said wondering what Nick wanted; his smile made her wonder even more.

They walked a little ways away from the group, far enough away so they couldn't hear what Nick was going to say. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Judy asked.

"I was wondering if sometime in the future when you are free if you'd like to go out and do something. Maybe do the classic dinner, movie combo?" Nick proposed.

"You mean like a date?" Judy questioned with a raised brow.

"Yah, just like a date," Nick confirmed with an inviting smile. Judy didn't look so sure about it at first, but Nick could see through her facial expressions that she was warming up to the idea.

"That sounds lovely. I haven't been on a date in a while."

"Great, when are you free?" Nick asked giddily.

"How's about tomorrow night at around six you can come pick me up for dinner, then we can go to a movie after that," Judy suggested.

"Everything about that sounds great, other than the part where I don't have a license and can't drive," the fox chuckled nervously. Judy giggled sweetly.

"Fine, I guess I'll pick you up," She said. "Now come on, McCabe's back," She pointed, walking back over to the group, Nick followed closely behind. When the two got back, McCabe was standing there with his large gun in paw, back turned to his, soon be dead forever, car.

"Everyone ready?" McCabe asked. Everyone just nodded, unsure of what was actually going to happen. "Good!" he smiled, putting on a pair of ear muffs. "I'd suggest for you all to cover your ears," he said aiming down to his car. Everyone listened and waited for the car to go 'boom'. In an instant, the gun went off and immediately the car went up in an inferno, sending bits and shards of the old vehicle everywhere.

Nick looked at the sight in awe; it was a totally amazing thing to behold. All the guys were whooping and hollering at the awesome explosion, and the gals just looked on at the riddled mess of a car.

Suddenly, Nick felt compelled to look down at McCabe, only to find him still aimed at the car and his whole body shaking. The fox realized just how much the poor wolf was reliving in this moment and felt bad for the guy. Nick walked over to McCabe and put a paw on his shoulder. The lupine flinched at first, but accepted it soon after. McCabe looked back and up into his friends eyes; Nick looked down at him with a comforting smile. "Feel better?" Nick asked.

"More than you will ever know."

* * *

 **Another chapter done, however many to go. Seems things are just getting good for our fox friend. He's bonding with his family, has a date with his crush, and an ever growing friendship with his wolf friend. What more could a guy ask for.**

 **I know I said I'd get this chapter out sooner, but some things came up, that being that I broke my wrist and had to have surgery yesterday. So I've been on a lot of drugs and am in a bit of pain, not to mention I can only type with my left hand at the moment. I guess a good thing to come from this is I can't do much but lye in bed and keep writing. Point being, I may or may not be putting out chapters faster.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and or followed this story, I love all of you. That being said, I can never have to much of those so keep them coming, I love reading what others have to think about my story.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	14. The Date

"A date?"

"Yah, a bit surprising, huh?" Nick chuckled.

"A bit? I've never even seen you with a prey, but now you're telling me you're going on a date with one. Who are you and what have you done with my kit."

Nick let out a hearty laugh; she isn't wrong. He was enjoying this, the fox really loved being able to talk with his mom as if she were a friend just like when he was a kid. He never realized just how much they've grown apart until he started calling her up daily; it was a real eye opener.

"So what are you two planning on doing?" The older vixen asked. Nick might be enjoying this, but Vicki felt as though she had won the lottery five times over. She had realized that she was losing her kit a long time ago, he was growing away from her and had been ever since that damned night. She had spent long night's wishing and praying that she could have her little boy back, and finally she was getting what she wanted. Reconnecting with Nick gave her a new found joy that was lost to her for many years.

"Just some simple things: go get a bite to eat, then catch a movie. Nothing too big," Nick laid out the plans of his night.

"Sounds fun. I hope you have a wonderful time tonight, just don't have too much fun," Vicki chuckled.

"MOM! Seriously?"

"Oh calm down, I'm only kidding. I haven't been able to tease you like this forever," She giggled in delight. This is how she wanted to feel as a mother.

"I suddenly feel compelled to hang up the phone," Nick expressed with fake annoyance. The two shared a laugh for a few moments. Yah, this is what they wanted.

"Well I better be getting back to work before Ms. Fester has my tail. I'll talk to you later; Love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Talk to you tomorrow." With that the two foxes hung up. Vicki continued with her duties in the small shop, and Nick lied peacefully under his favorite tree.

It was an unusually peaceful day around the property. Nick honestly had no idea where anyone was; he had woken up and hadn't seen any sign of anyone. No Deb making breakfast, no Tim anywhere to be found, and the others were all a mystery? The weirdest thing, Nick had to admit, was not hearing McCabe work on his car; the fox had become quite accustomed to the sound of the wolf banging on that heap of scrap metal. It seemed almost alien not hearing the many sounds of the wolf in his shop. Instead he was lying in complete silence, nothing but the sounds of nature could be heard; prefect. At least it would be if Nick didn't have a couple things on his mind.

First, the date he was going to have tonight with Judy has been running through his mind all last night and this morning. He wasn't really stressed about it, or nervous; he's gone on countless dates with other's, so this isn't really new to him. However, it is the first prey he's ever taken out on a date. He also doesn't know that much about her, but from what he does know about Judy he can honestly say she's a very intimidating bunny. _Never thought I'd say that_ , the fox chuckled to himself. It's true though, she is one of the most headstrong, determined, willful mammal he's ever met, and they've been around each other only a few times. All in all, he was looking forward to spending some time with her.

The other thing on his mind had to do with his best friend back in Zootopia, Finnick. They usually text each other everyday to keep in touch. They haven't had any form of communication since the day he told Nick that he was working for the mafia. That's been setting off some alarms in his head. Nick just can't believe that he actually went and did that; sure the guys always been one to find the next big thing to do and get a big takeaway, but he's usually safe and smart about it. Now all the fox can do is think of the worse.

Besides those two things, Nick didn't have much on his mind. For the first time in a long time he actually felt stress free. He didn't have to worry about anything; not his family life, not any relationships with friends or anyone else, and especially no drama. Everything was going fine, maybe a little to fine. The pessimist in him told the fox that it wouldn't last, that's just the way the world works. But he decided for once that instead of worrying about all that negative crap he was going to just ride this smooth path until something inevitably went wrong.

Just as Nick was about to close his eyes and lose his mind to his imagination, the sound of whistling approaching got him to look towards the source. He relaxed when he saw who it was; for the first time that morning Nick saw another member of the family, and unsurprisingly it was McCabe walking over to him.

"Sup," the wolf greeted cheerfully.

"Nothing much, Just lying around relaxing," Nick replied lazily.

"Sounds fun," McCabe said.

Nick just gave a grunt in response. Not fun, per say, but it was relaxing. McCabe was slightly reluctant with his next statement, but he knew this day was coming from when he first got here.

"Well I just wanted to come over and say goodbye." That got the fox to snap his head back up at the wolf.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked with slight concern. He really liked McCabe and didn't want him to leave. He's honestly the only friend he's got out here (though he was hoping to change that tonight).

"I've got to head back to Zootopia," McCabe revealed, "I have work tomorrow and need to be there if I want to keep my job; I'm lucky to be good friends with my boss so he'd let me have this many days off, but now I've got to get back," McCabe explained with bitter-sweetness. Sure he was sad to be leaving his family since he loved them all unconditionally, but he has made a life for himself back in the city; that and he really can't wait to see his love again after all this time. "I've already said my goodbyes to everyone else, and I'm going to Judy's before I leave. You're the only one left."

Nick wasn't happy with the news, he really enjoys having the wolf around, but what was he going to do about it? Beg him to not go back to his own life? He was going to miss the guy, but he'd be fine without him.

"I'm going to miss you man," Nick said as he stood up to give McCabe a proper farewell. The two embraced in a hug, though it was slightly awkward due to the slight height difference.

"Keep yourself out of trouble now, you hear?" McCabe smiled lightly.

"No promises," the fox chuckled jokingly, getting McCabe to smile happily at his newest friend. _He'll be just fine_ , he thought to himself.

"Bye Nick," McCabe bid his final farewell before walking off behind the house. Moments later Nick heard the engine of his truck roar to life and he came driving around. He waved at Nick as he drove away from the property and Nick returned the gesture. _Well that kind of sucks,_ Nick shrugged. All those weeks building up their friendship, then he has to leave with a simple goodbye. He was going to miss him, definitely. He was the greatest friend he's had only topped by Finnick- Nick and the fennec had a special friendship, that is for sure. Hopefully they'd see each other again sometime in the future. He looked forward to that day.

The fox again lied himself down, resting his head on the base of the tree. He closed his eyes and relaxed his entire body. Sleep soon overcame Nick with McCabe on his mind and the thought that they'd see each other again. When he would wake, however, he knew all he would be focused on is one thing: his date with Judy.

Nick's nap was ended when the sound of his alarm brought him back to consciousness. At first he was a little groggy and annoyed that his sleep, which was going wonderful, was interrupted by the obnoxious sound of his alarm. However, when he realized what that alarm meant a small smile found its way to his lips. It is now 5 o'clock, and time to start getting ready for his date.

Nick drawled out a hefty yawn as he stretched his resting muscles. Feeling woken up and even more energized from his nap, Nick got to his feet and went inside the house.

"Seems someone's happy about their nap." Nick looked over into the family room to see the entire rest of the family sitting down watching something on the TV. It was Deb who had acknowledged his presence. She was looking at him with her regular sweet smile waiting for his response.

"Yep! It's always nice catching some sleep before going out on a date," he claimed as the fox zipped up the stairs with a mischievous smile.

"wait, WHAT?" Nick heard exclaimed from downstairs and he couldn't stop himself from cackling. He hadn't bothered telling them about it and knew telling them would come across as a bit of a shocker considering he hasn't done much of anything for the entire summer. He knew he'd have to reveal all the details to them when he goes back downstairs, but he didn't mind it he just enjoys screwing with other's.

Judy was supposed to be picking him up at 6, so he'd have to quicken his pace up just a bit. He hurried into the shower and rinsed himself off. After the shower he dried himself off and groomed his fur the best he could, and it was good. He returned to his room and pulled the nicest clothes he had out from his closet. Nick chuckled slightly to himself, he remembers fighting with his mom about taking this shirt with him. She tried to convince him just in case he went to something more formal; Nick argued and insisted that it wasn't going to happen. _Guess I was wrong, that seems to be a reoccurring theme lately._

Nick gazed at himself in the mirror and was pleased with how he was looking. Hopefully his bunny date would think the same thing. The fox looked at the time , Seeing he had 10 minutes until Judy was supposed to be here. It felt kind of backwards that she would be driving him to their date, but what was he to do about it.

He walked downstairs where there was no escaping his waiting family.

"Well, you clean up nice," Tim complimented seeing the young fox saunter down the stairs and over to them. Nick thanked him.

"So what is this about a date" Deb brought up what everyone else was thinking. "When and where were you able to ask some vixen out?" Nick would understand her confusion, if it was another fox he was taking out.

"Simple, I'm not going out on a date with another fox. I got myself a rabbit," Nick smiled. Oh, how Nick wishes he could have a camera to capture the looks on everyone's faces: priceless.

"Judy?" Deb guessed considering she's the only rabbit he's been around.

"Bingo!"

"Gonna be honest, didn't expect you to be the type of mammal that…" Tim wanted to chose his words carefully as not to say something offensive.

"Dates different species? Yah, all the time. More often than not it's usually a different species," Nick shrugged. It really wasn't that big of a deal to him.

"So what are you two doing exactly?" Deb asked, purposely moving away from that subject.

"Dinner, movie, the classic date," Nick explained, again.

"When did this happen?" Deb wondered, then thinking back to yesterday when the two went off alone. Nick was about to answer, but the sound of a car horn cut him off.

"Tell you what, I'll give you the details when I get home," Nick suggested, but not giving them anytime to answer before he said goodbye and walked out the door. What the fox saw parked in the driveway almost got his jaw to drop. Judy noticed Nicks reaction from the drivers seat and couldn't help but giggle. She got that a lot when she drove this beauty around.

"What is a precious bunny like you doing driving a beast like this?" Nick jokingly asked as he climbed into the classic muscle car: a 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback. And Nick thought he was done being surprised by her.

"Come on fox, you should know by now I'm anything but precious," Judy stated, taking off down the driveway and turned towards town. "Your looking nice. I was starting to think you always looked like you'd just gotten out of bed," the bunny laughed. Nick scoffed, placing a paw over his chest acting like her words hurt.

"Come on now, you'd think someone like me would always look like trash. You know there's a reason the term is called looking foxy," Nick expressed huskily as he gestured to himself. The look he got from Judy was priceless . She looked at him with a mixture of embarrassment and disgust; mostly embarrassment though as he could see the redness of her face from a mile away. _Doesn't seem like she's used to this. Oh this is going to be a fun night_. If there's anything Nick loves to do, it's seeing others get flustered; especially attractive girls such as the bunny sitting across from him.

"I can't believe you said that."

"Calm down fluff, I'm just messing with you," the fox smiled happily to himself.

"Yah I know, but still, I was just caught a little off guard," She admitted bashfully.

"Anyway," Nick decided to spare her- at least for now- and change the subject. He was actually really curious about this car and how she acquired it. "Where'd you get this beauty?" Nick questioned as he caressed the interior. The fox used to be an enthusiast about old cars like this; it was awesome seeing this car in such good condition .

"It's my dad's," She told him patting the dashboard. "He beat some poor mammal in a poker game and won it off him. Luckily I'm the oldest and he let's me drive it around every so often. Tonight is one of those nights." Nick laughed slightly at the misfortune of whoever was dumb enough to lose this in a game of poker.

"So you pick out where we're eating at?" Judy asked, finally bringing up the fact that they were out on a date.

"I mean I did like that one place we all are at the other night," Nick said tilting his head over to the bunny who didn't look very pleased with that decision. Fortunately for her, he was only kidding, "But I figured that wouldn't be the best place to take you out on a date. I did some research and found that the Elkhorn Dinner was probably the best choice."

"Good choice," Judy said, looking a lot more pleased about the choice. "I haven't been there in awhile, but it's really good."

They drove for a while longer until Judy pulled into the parking lot of a very nice looking restaurant. The two climbed out and started walking in. It was at this time Nick took his first full look at the bunny all dressed up and he had to say she was looking stunning. She was legitimately breath taking which is something he never thought he'd think about a rabbit.

They walked into the building, and were lead to their seats. Their waiter, a teenage bull elk, brought them over to a window seat with a beautiful view, as if he knew Nick and Judy were on a date. The two asked for just waters and the elk said he'd be right back with them.

"Man, it must be nice always having a view like this," Nick sighed as he gazed out the window.

"Yah I guess it's pretty nice, but you get used to it. I bet its nothing like the city, though," She voiced. Nick gave a shrug.

"I guess it just depends on your taste of scenery," Nick replied. Sure, the city had it's moments of beauty, but he couldn't help but see beauty everywhere he looked here. The city… well not so much.

The elk came back and served the couple their waters and asked if they were ready to order. Judy ordered a nice salad, while Nick did the same only wanting crickets with it as well. "I'll have your food here shortly, and I'll male sure it gets here extra quick for you," the waiter said , gesturing to Judy. He walked away and Nick looked at the bunny with pleasant curiosity.

"So, does everyone here know you, or have I just gotten lucky in meeting everyone you know," the fox inquired. Judy gave a half shrug and looked away shyly.

"I mean it is a small town, everybody knows everybody," She tried to play off. But come on, does she really think she could fool this fox. Not to mention how she was acting, but there is no way that someone would be able to pick out a normal rabbit from the hundreds of others. She'd have to do something special.

"Come on now, Carrots, you can't keep the truth from me forever," he grinned boastfully. Judy saw his little smile and wanted to smack the smugness off of it; although she had to admit it made the vulpine look slightly more attractive. Every time the fox gives her that sly smirk she gets a warm feeling in her chest.

"Yah, I suppose I have a bit of a reputation around here," Judy admitted, not feeling like arguing with her date. Besides, maybe if she tells him a little about her life, he'll open up more with her.

"Is that good or bad," Nick asked intrigued, eyeing Judy as he sipped his water.

"Good for the most part; everything except all the attention I get from it." She said shyly.

"If I may ask, what did you do to rise to your fame?"

She seemed a little reluctant to go into depth about the whole thing. It's kind of a touchy subject in her life, as well as many others; that, and it is a long story. She finally decided that she'd just give him the story everyone else knows.

"You remember when you saw me standing up to that jerk fox, Gideon?" Judy asked. Nick nodded, indeed he remembers that day, he also remembers being really impressed with how she dealt with him. "Well, it wasn't only McCabe and I he liked to torment. Him and his friends bullied just about everyone, and they were ruthless. This went on from elementary until I was a sophomore and he was a senior. I had finally had enough of his crap and got into a fight with him," Judy paused for a moment and let out a suppressed laugh.

"What's so funny?" Nick wondered.

"I'm just remembering all the hype that lead up to that fight," She giggled. "The whole school was putting bets on who'd win, everyone expected Gideon to win no problem. I was told I had no chance in hell," Judy wore a smug grin that told Nick just about everything; still, he was curious how this ended.

"What happened?" Nick inquired. Judy was about to answer when the waiter came back with their food, putting it down in front of them. Nick was slightly annoyed by the interruption; he wants to hear how this ends.

"As I was saying, the school was going crazy about this whole thing, calling it the fight of the century, and everyone expected it to be this big thing. Turns out Gideon wasn't as tough as everyone thought he was. The fight started, he charged at me, then I landed one kick to his head and knocked him out cold. I'm usually not one for violence, but that was the most satisfying things I had ever done," Judy explained with a gratified smile. All the while Nick had his face buried into the table laughing his head off. The image of Judy, this small rabbit, one hitting that large fox set him off into a hysteric laughing frenzy.

"That's just too good," Nick wheezed out.

"Yah, after that everyone lost their respect for him, his friends abandoned him, and he just faded into the background for the rest of the year. I started getting a lot of attention after that," She rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed by the sudden attention. Though it wasn't necessarily the attention she didn't like, it was more of how she got tIt.

"So what about you?" Judy asked.

"What about me?" Nick questioned.

"Besides all your scamming, I don't really know anything about you," she's only been around him either during negative circumstances, or when she was preoccupied with her other friends. She saw this as a good chance to actually get to know the fox and judge him from there. Really all she wants to know is if Nicks really a jerk or not.

Nick kind of caught on to this and decided to play along. If he was going to get her to like him back, then he might as well give her a peek into his dysfunctional life.

"What do you want to know?" He opened his arms letting her know he was open to any question.

"Just who you are. What do you like, what do you do for fun, what makes you, you," Judy inquired of the fox. Suddenly, Nick felt like he was being interrogated, and he wasn't sure how to answer. Most of his life has revolved around scamming mammals, and not much else. It really put his life into perspective. "Come on, don't tell me all you've done with your life is hustle animals," Judy joked, though she was a little worried that's exactly what he's done.

"Nah, I've got other interests," he laughed. "I enjoy listening to classic rock, I'm pretty decent at running track, and I love meeting new people, to name a few things," Nick listed from the things that came off the top of his head. There are other things, he just can't remember them at the moment. Judy seemed slightly satisfied with the answers given to her, though kind of vague. It was a start.

"I wouldn't have guessed you to be the social type, considering how you act around my friends and I," Judy giggled.

Nick shrugged, "People in Bunnyburrow are a whole other breed of animals; I know how to talk the language of Zootopia. I know quite a few of important mammals in the big Z, both good and bad, but we don't need to go into detail about that," Nick liked to pride himself on how much he knew the animals of Zootopia. Of course a lot of them were on the shady side of the law, but it's also good to knows types of mammals too; it's amazing what kind of information you can get from them.

Judy seemed pretty impressed with him. She's not very much of a people's person. Yah, she has her group of friends, but it's a small one and that's how she likes it. "So I'm guessing you have quite a bit of street smarts, with all those years of 'business' and knowing all those mammals, you seem like the type who'd be very knowledgeable in that area," Judy commented as she took her last bite of food. Nick bobbed his head around not disagreeing, but not wanting to brag to much. He likes to think he has some of the best street smarts out there.

"I mean I don't want to brag, but yah I'm very smart when it comes to the streets. Not so much with the books, but I gave up with that a long time ago," Nick admitted, now fishing for his wallet since the two were done eating.

Judy looked dolefully at the fox, She could only guess why he didn't have an interest in school any longer, but she assumed it had something to do with him being a fox. "You shouldn't give up on your education, you know," Judy gave her opinion.

Nick didn't even look up from grabbing his debit card out of his wallet, just gave a small scoff. "I tried doing the school thing, I really did," he told the bunny. They both got up and went over to the front counter to pay, "But when your always accused of cheating for getting good grades just because of your species, you tend to lose your motivation," he gave a soft laugh, but the expression on his face told Judy everything. "But, hey, what can you do?" He shrugged taking back his card.

They walked out and got into the car before continuing to talk. "Is Zootopia really that bad?" Up to this point Judy figured the city was this great place, but from what Nicks told her about it, it's not all it's cracked up to be.

"I wouldn't say it's the worst place in the world, but it definitely has its flaws," Nick told her.

Judy looked to be deep in thought as she pondered about her outlook on the city she has praised so much. It seems like she was wrong about the whole 'perfect city' she had convinced herself Zootopia was. However, though she may have been wrong, it didn't a damper on her dream of becoming a cop there.

Nick noticed the grin Judy had and wondered what she was all smiley about. "What's got you so happy?" Nick asked, and couldn't help smiling with her. _She has such a contagious smile_ , he cooed silently to himself.

"Learning all this stuff about Zootopia made me realize something," She said. Nick looked at her expectantly to finish what she had to say. "I've always had the dream to be a cop there only I thought Zootopia was this perfect place, but knowing all this stuff now gives me a chance to do what I've always wanted," Judy explained boastfully.

"And that is?"

"Making the world a better place," She beamed.

Nick didn't say anything at first, mostly because he was inwardly freaking out. _Holy hell, this little rabbit is such a precious soul. How on earth is someone like me good enough for her._ His last thought was kind of depressing as he thought back to how terrible an animal he actually was. "Well if anyone could make a difference there, it would be you."

Judy looked away bashfully, "Thanks, Nick." The conversation came to an end when they pulled up to the movie theater. They got out and Judy asked Nick if he had any movies in mind.

"I was just going to let you pick it. I didn't want to end up choosing something you don't want to see."

"Aww, what a gentlefox."

"Yep, that's me, the sweetest fox you'll ever meet," he flashed her a smile. "So what will it be?" He pointed over to the selection of movies, secretly hoping that it wasn't a chick-flick. Judy scanned over her options until seeing one that she thought looked interesting. She pointed it out to Nick , and upon seeing her selection inwardly sighed in relief. Of course she'd be the one to pick the action-thriller, and one he was actually wanting to see. "Wonder Woman it is then," He agreed.

Cut to a couple hours later and the two were walking out of the theatre around 10:30, pretty happy with their selection of a movie. "Definitely one of the better DC movies," Judy commented.

"Absolutely, though all of the other ones set the bar kind of low," he mocked.

"Can't argue with you there."

"I've had fun tonight," Judy said as she drove out of the parking lot, and started heading back to Nicks house to drop him off for the night.

"I would hope so, or else I spent the entire night being nice to you for no reason," he teased.

Judy rolled her eyes, lightly hitting him on the shoulder, "Har, har. But seriously, this has been really fun. It was nice to hang out and get to know you better," she smiled.

"I'm gonna have to agree with you on that, fluff; this has definitely been one of the more fun times I've had this summer," Nick expressed with joy. "Funny how most of those times include you," he uttered a little shyly.

"Guess I just enhance your life; you're just lucky to have to have me, aren't you?" She giggled.

"I guess so," Nick laughed along, neither of them knowing how true that statement would be in the future.

They eventually reached Nicks house, and Judy parked in the driveway. The two looked happily at one another, "Maybe we can do something like this again?" Nick proposed. Judy didn't even have to think about it.

"That's be nice."

Nick climbed out of the car and his Judy a good night. He watched her drive away off the property and towards her house. _And there she goes, the mammal of my dreams_ , the fox smiled like a lovesick puppy. His little crush on the bunny had steadily grown over the night, and now he felt like he was actually starting to fall for her. _Who would have ever guessed,_ he softly chuckled as he walked into the house happier than when he left earlier that night.

* * *

 **This took a little longer to get out than I wanted. It would have taken longer if I hadn't decided to stay up to 1 in the morning for the past couple of nights. At least it's something worth losing sleep over, so I h** **ope y'all enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Next chapter is gonna be a bit of a surprise. Good or bad? Well you'll just have to come back for the next chapter to see.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and reviewed this story, I reallyappreciate it. Please continue to give me feedback, as I enjoy reading what you all have to say.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	15. The Calm Before the Storm

Sleep would be really nice right now, it was nearly 2 in the morning and still Judy found herself awake staring up aimlessly at her ceiling. She'd tried everything to help her fall asleep, but nothing seemed to work; her mind was too preoccupied with other things. _Dang fox_ she groaned as she tossed and turned in her bed trying to find a comfortable position. She didn't think it would ever happen, but the night proved to her that anything can happen.

She got home that night from the date and ever since she couldn't get Nick off her mind. Her parents asked her if she was alright and said she was looking distracted. "Did something happen tonight?" her dad had asked. They didn't actually know what she did tonight; she told them that she went out with some friends and hung out for the night. Obviously that wasn't the truth, but they never would have let her go out if they knew she was going on a date with a fox. They may be friends with that family, but her parents aren't the greatest when it comes to accepting things outside the norm.

Judy had told them it had been a long night and that she was just tired. "I'll be fine after a good night's rest," She assured them. If only that had actually happened. Skip forward to the present and she was still wide awake thinking about nothing but her date with Nick. She'd never felt like this after any other date she has gone on, not once. But Nick, he's just something else. She found talking with him was effortless, and she didn't find herself forcing a conversation like she does with most everyone else she's ever gone out with. Even with others she's known for years it could be hard keeping a conversation. But she found that this fox was different from the others. She didn't really know how he was different, she wouldn't be able to explain it if asked, but he just is: and she liked it. She especially likes how he was able to turn himself around so quickly.

He's also just interesting. His whole life is so much more different than her own, and hearing him talk about his experiences in the city fascinated her more than she'd like to admit. Of course these aren't even the main reasons she was finding herself liking the fox.

His whole personality just made her relaxed, making it very easy to be around him. He's a lot more kind than she ever expected him to be, and such a gentlefox. To be honest, when she first heard that Nick had lied to her and scammed her out of her money, let's just say she was a little livid. So much so that at first she wanted to go to the cops and turn him in to teach him a lesson about taking advantage of animals; however, McCabe was able to talk her out of it, and she's glad be did. After that incident, Judy never imagined to be having these thoughts about Nick. Yet here she was not being able to get the image of that fox out of her head.

That's the other thing: his image. Judy has only seen two other foxes in her life; them being Gideon and Skye. Gideon's not the best thing on the eyes, and the bunny's not into other girls, so she never thought being attracted to a fox was a possibility. But she can't deny that Nick is a very good looking animal. Dare she say he's more handsome than any other rabbit or hare she's ever gone out with. Was that normal? To think a guy from a different species was more attractive than others of her own kind? In a lot of animals eyes, yah, it may seem a bit unnatural, and to be honest it kind of is. However, she found out from a young age that she doesn't really care what others try and tell her. Nick's hot, sexy, and that damned smirk of his sent shivers down her spine every time he did it. Yep, there was no denying it from herself; she was starring to fall for the fox.

"Sweet cheese and crackers," She groaned quietly to herself.

* * *

It was a new day and Nick couldn't be happier. The night previous had put him into an even better mood than he was already in. The date had been a success, at least in his eyes, and now his little crush had turned into something a little more than that. It's funny how unexpected this was. One minute he was scamming the rabbit, and the next he has a crush on her. That's life for you.

Deb and Tim definitely took notice in how he was acting and weren't very discreet in hinting that they wanted to know the details, though it was mostly Debra doing all the pestering, Tim was mostly making small jokes about it. Nick didn't really mind the slight prodding for information, but he did enjoy messing with them by giving only tiny bits info about what went on last night even though he had nothing to hide. He just enjoyed seeing Deb squirm around frustrated with the what little he was telling her. Eventually, she gave a sigh of defeat, "At least you had a good night, I'm happy for you," She gave her signature Deb smile.

"Thanks. I'm hoping to have a few more night's like that." Nick hoped that his first date with Judy would not be his last. He wanted to continue having these fun night's with her, hoping to grow their relationship to something more. Of course, that's all up to her. If she doesn't think the same about him then he wasn't going to be the creepy animal who won't leave her alone; he'd respect her decision, leave her alone, and get over it. He just doesn't want it to end up that way.

Nick looked down at his phone, looking at the time and seeing how long he had to wait until his mom could call him: only a few more minutes until she'd be on break and be free to call him. He knew she'd be anticipating to hear about his date; he was already preparing himself for the bombardment of questions he was going to get. He waited, and waited, then waited some more; with each passing minute the fox became more and more worried when the call never came. _Maybe she just got caught up with work_ , Nick tried to calm himself _. She's probably fine_ , he told himself; however, he wasn't convincing himself. Ever since his father got out of jail he's been really worried about his mom being alone. After 30 minutes of not getting anything Nick was starting to slightly freak out. He'd had enough of waiting and decided to just try and call her himself. No luck, her phone went straight to voicemail. Okay, now it was time for Nick to start having a panic attack. He took deep breaths trying to calm down, telling himself that he was just overreacting; it wasn't working though.

Like he said, his dad's had him on edge ever since Nick found out he was released. What he said all those years ago on the night he was taken away by the police was looping in his head, and it made him feel like that kit curling into his mother for comfort. Nick thought that he was passed all this, sure that he had put all that crap on his past, then the bastard had to come back. He was ruining his life all over again in a brand new way with the constant paranoia. Nick was able to keep his worries at bay by surrounding himself with distractions, up until now.

Suddenly his phone started to ring and quickly answered it when he saw that it was his mom. "Hello," he answered calmly, like he wasn't just having a panic attack.

"Hi, Nick. Sorry I didn't call or answer, work got hectic and they needed me," She apologized.

"No worries, just glad to hear your okay," Nick played off, not wanting his mom to know how scared he was of his father coming back. He may have thought that his mom bought his lie, but she could hear it in his voice that something was wrong. She wasn't exactly sure what was bothering him, but decided not to push it; she knows he doesn't like talking much about his problems. He would talk to someone when he wanted to.

"Soooo, how was your night," Vicki asked. Nick could hear her smirk on the other end of the line.

"It was great." Nick smiled. happy and relieved that everything was fine.

The two talked for awhile, Nick giving the details of the previous night that his mom was so desperate to hear. They talked as long as her break permitted, which was 30 minutes, but until then they talked non-stop. Eventually, the 30 minutes was up and they had to say goodbye until either later tonight or tomorrow; probably tomorrow since his mom doesn't get home until late and has nothing on her mind except for sleep.

When he hung up the phone, he took a deep breath happy and relieved that everything was fine. _I knew everything was fine, I'm just worrying too much_.

* * *

Miles away from Nick, in an old run down apartment building sat an equal looking fox. The scruffy old fox sat in his one room apartment on his crappy bed staring at a wrinkled photo of the one he needed to see most. It seemed like he hadn't been able to take his eyes off the picture for days, it's the only thing he could think of. The photo was of the one he's wanted to get into contact with ever since he got of jail. He knew he would be going against his restraining order if he got anywhere near his kit, but he honestly didn't care. He was going to pay Nick a visit no matter the consequences.

He stood up to stretch his legs as he looked out the window into the busy city. He could be anywhere out there, among the hundreds of thousands of mammals, but he knew he would find him. He'd been waiting and planning everything in his head for too long to back out now. He was committed and determined to do this.

"I'm coming for you Nick."

* * *

It was very obvious to all those around her that Judy's mind was somewhere else. Living on a farm meant for daily work on an assortment of different things from planting, to harvesting, to vehicle maintenance, and many other different things. Today, Judy was just going through some of her usual chores, but honestly she was just on auto-pilot as she did it. Her thoughts were on something, or more accurately someone, else. This, obviously, didn't go unnoticed by her family.

Mostly it was the older group of siblings that took notice of Judy's strange behavior; this started with breakfast when she came to the table looking exhausted, didn't talk with anyone, and had the thousands mile stare. Throughout the morning she continued to keep to herself as she did her chores and worked around the farm. This was setting off some alarms for her brothers and sisters, as they knew Judy very well and know when something's up with her.

"100 dollars it's about a guy," one of Judy's brothers stated confidently with his arms crossed to a group looking over at their sister.

"I don't know, Hayden," his sister said, "Judy's not really the one to act like this over a boy." She pointed put.

"I'm going to have to agree with Jamie on that, Judy isn't like that when it comes to guys. If anything, she's rethinking her idea about becoming a big city cop," he got the whole group to laugh at that, all except for Hayden who just rolled his eyes, _As if._

"Whatever it is," Hayden raised his voice getting back everyone's attention, "It's worrying me. I've never seen her like this before." The others had to agree with him there; Judy's never acted like this, at least not around them, and it's making everyone worried about her; Hayden especially.

No being able to take it anymore, Hayden walked away from the group and made his way over to Judy who was currently inspecting a row of crops.

"Hey, Jude," the buck greeted. Judy turned towards the sudden voice and smiled once she saw it was Hayden.

"How's it going, Haydo?" She responded.

"I'm fine, how are you," he questioned worryingly.

"I'm great," She said, which isn't entirely true, and her brother knew that. Hayden looked at her with a knowing gaze.

"Come on, Judy, we both know that's a lie. Something's bothering you and I just want to make sure you're okay." Judy gave her brother a small, reassuring smile that told him everything was going to be fine.

"I just have a lot on my mind, nothing for you to worry yourself to death about," Judy assured him. She was glad that he cared enough about her to come check to see if she was fine, but this was something she wanted to keep private: at least for now.

"Oh, and by the way," Judy said, catching Hayden's attention before he left to continue with his jobs, "It seems you guys have forgotten that our ears aren't just for show," She smirked knowingly. Realizing what she meant, Hayden gave her a sheepish smile as he slowly backed away. He felt a chill run down his spine as he continued to look at her. He knows the look all to much, it was meant to let him, and the rest of their siblings in that small group, know to watch their backs.

"Also, the others owe you 100 dollars," She whispered to herself. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't get the fox out of her head. Her mind had been plagued with thoughts of Nick since last night, resulting in a lack of sleep and a slight headache. She had tried to clear her mind, but nothing seemed to work, and eventually all her thoughts lead back to one thing: she wanted to see him again and hopefully soon.

Nick had the same thoughts in mind. Though it hadn't affected him as much (at least not in the present) Judy definitely was the one constant thing going through his head. Getting all the negative thoughts out of his mind, Judy happened to be the thing he focused on for some happiness.

Just like Judy, Nick wanted to see her again as soon as possible. He had been debating with himself for the last hour if he should call Judy and set up a second date, but he didn't want to seem desperate. He doesn't want to drive her away, but he also wants to see her again. Oh, the problems of teenage mammals.

While Nicks mind was clashing, his phone suddenly started buzzing. Confused as to who would be calling him he picked up his phone and looked at the contact; immediately a smile spread across his face when he saw who it was.

"Look who just couldn't stay away," Nick teased as he answered the phone. In reply, he received a scoff from his very favorite bunny.

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself so much," She laughed.

"So, what did you call for then?" Nick questioned.

"I… just wanted to know how you're doing today," She answered slowly.

"Uhuh, sure. I'm fine. How about yourself?"

"I'm doing great," Judy replied. A silence fell over the call as Nick waited for Judy to continue with what she called for; smiling devilishly the entire time. It felt good not being the shy, awkward one between the two: it's nice.

"Soooo, are you going to tell me the real reason you called, or just run up my minutes," Nick teased. She was quiet for a few more seconds, then Nick heard a muffled sigh.

"I really had a good time last night," She started, getting the fox to beam happily. "I wanted to know if you were free anytime soon; maybe we could go out again?"

Nick took the phone away from his head for a moment and gave a victorious fist pump. He composed himself again and returned back to the call.

"Sounds fun. When do you want to go?" Nick asked, trying his best to mask the overexcitement in his voice.

"I have a day off this Friday if that's okay?" Judy asked.

"Well, Judy, considering I'm always free, I think I can make it," Nick answered. "What are we going to do this time?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," She told him.

"I guess I can't complain. I'll see you then," Nick said.

They ended the call and both had the biggest smiles on their faces. Neither thought that they'd be this happy just to be able to see one mammal, but here they are now filled with elation. Who'd a thought that this bunny and this fox could ever catch feelings for each other; especially with their past.

Each were happy, more happy then they had been in a long time. Unfortunately for the fox, a storm was brewing and was about to hit his life full force.

* * *

 **Hello everyone, and thanks for reading yet another chapter of this story. I don't have much to say this time other than the usual thank you'd to everyone who has rwad, reviewed, favorited, and or followed this story. That's all I really have to say, so until next time.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	16. Ever Growing Love

"This is nice," Nick said. Judy hummed in agreement as she leaned up against the fox, her fox. The two were sat on a large hill in between their two houses, gazing out at the sun setting over the horizon. Fast forward three weeks from their first date and, this is where they ended up- together in each other's embrace. Needless to say, all the follow up dates from the first one were successful. They had gone out on five more dates since the first one, and each one fueled the fire of their love for one another.

It was a slow and steady relationship for the first five dates as they just went on simple little outings getting to know each other better. They had fun doing an assortment of different activities including going to a few more movies, eating out at a bunch of restaurant, exploring the country side, and even went out dancing- that was a whole experience that the two will never forget. They really enjoyed going out and keeping each other entertained. However, it was on their sixth date where everything for them, and their relationship, changed.

"I'm glad we can be together like this," Judy purred into Nicks side, relaxing as she looked at the beautiful colors in the sky that the sunset was making.

"Who'd a thought this would ever happen?" Nick smiled; with all the odds against them no one would have expected for these two to be together as a couple.

"It feels like it was just yesterday that I wanted to knock you out and turn you into the police," the bunny giggled as she remembered finding out the truth about Nick. If it weren't for McCabe, She would have marched into that house and knocked the bastard out right there. That wasn't the same fox she was lying on right now; that was the old, much more pessimistic, Nick Wilde that was a jerk. Her Nick is sweet, kind, thoughtful, funny, and just a good mammal. She admits he does a few things that annoy her, but nothing she can't overlook.

"Well I'm glad you didn't," Nick smiled, "and I'm also glad you gave me a chance." Nick wouldn't be able to accurately express his feelings to Judy if he wanted to; with everything she's done for him- most which she doesn't even know about- it's made his life that much better.

"I am too. And honestly almost didn't give you a chance. When you came and apologized, I wanted to send you walking the other way; and when you asked me out on that first date, I came very close to turning you down." Judy admitted.

"Guess I'm lucky you're too nice for your own good," Nick teased, getting Judy to lightly elbow his side playfully. It may be true, but it doesn't mean he has to point it out. "I'm also lucky that you're a lot braver than me," he grinned softly. It was weird for Nick, he was usually the one to do all the smooth talking for all his past girlfriends, but with Judy he was taken away from his comfort zone. She is like no other mammal he has ever met before, and it makes him uncomfortable and nervous around her. So like he said, he's lucky she's a whole lot braver than him.

"Yah, if I chose to wait for you, then we wouldn't be here right now," She pointed out.

Rewind to a few nights ago on their sixth date, Nick and Judy were taking a walk through the countryside. Judy was pointing out all the different locations, telling Nick all sorts of stories about what adventures her, her siblings, and her friends had as she grew up. The fox found it cool how many interesting and funny stories she had about her kithood. He had his own stories to tell, but they aren't as happy or joyful as hers, so he opted to not tell any of those stories. He was also quite impressed with her knowledge of the different types of plant life. She'd point over to some shrub and give the full name of it. It made sense with her farmer background, but that doesn't take away anything.

Not only is she brave and determined, she's also quite intelligent, but that's not where it stops. She has so many little things to her that make him even more love sick. He'd been thinking for awhile how he wanted to tell her that he had these feelings for her, and that he wanted them to become a little more than friends; however, he was enjoying the time they spent together and didn't want to ruin it. For once he was worried about tainting a friendship. He regrets that more than once he's ruined friendships over the most trivial things, but with Judy he wanted to keep this one.

"Nick!" The fox looked up, a little dazed from zoning out. Judy was giving him a small smile. "You seem a little distracted, more so than usual," She pointed out, "Are you alright?" The two came to a stop in the middle of the path. Judy looked at Nick expectantly, waiting to get an answer from him.

Nick silently cursed himself for making it obvious that he was having inward problems; the bunny gets him to lower his guard much too often. "I'd really rather not say," Nick admitted, fear stopping him from telling her his feelings.

"Come on now, Nicky, you know I won't be satisfied with that answer," She said, using her nick-name for him. That was a name usually his mom uses for him, and a name he never lets anyone else use; however, he let Judy be the exception. Anyway, he knew that Judy wasn't going to let this go, and just this once he wished she would.

"Please, Judy, just drop it," he pleaded with her. Judy slightly shook her head and started walking closer to him with a smug smile until she was only inches away, making Nick even more uncomfortable.

"You know you're very easy to read when you're like this?" She told him. Nick tilted his head slightly in confusion; can she really tell what he's thinking. "And just to let you know," She grabbed the collar of Nicks shirt and pulled him down to eye level with her. For a small moment the two stared into each other's eyes. Then unexpectedly, and without warning, Judy pulled him forward and gave a small kiss. "I kinda like you too." It was only for a moment, but it was enough to break the fox.

Judy looked at the fox and giggled at his reaction. She started walking again, leaving Nick with his mouth wide open and look of shock over his face. 'What… just happened?' He inwardly screamed. He was frozen in place and didn't know how to react from that. Did that really just happen? Is this a dream?

"Come on, Nick, or in going to leave you behind," he heard Judy call to him. Nick shook his head and regained his thoughts. This was real, Judy just kissed him, and most importantly Judy likes him like he likes her. A goofy smile made its way onto Nicks face and he ran to catch up with Judy.

"So does this mean we're a thing?" Nick asked.

"What do you think?" Judy smirked.

"What do I think? I'd say yah, I think we're a thing," he said putting an arm around her and pulling her close to his side.

Nick smiled brightly as he remembered that night. It wasn't that long ago, but it still made him happy.

"I do have to admit something, though," Judy said. "My heart was pounding when I did that. I didn't know how you'd react, I was scared you might react badly."

"Well, aren't you glad you took that chance. Now you have me to cuddle up with," Nick rested his head on top of hers.

"Yes I am," She sighed happily, contempt with ho life was going. Nothing could ever ruin this.

* * *

Eric Toddson was finally making some progress with the search for his son. He probably could have found the information he needed a week ago, but he had some other obligations to take care of. Also he cleaned himself a bit, he trimmed up his fur and got some nicer cloths; He needed it after being locked up for all those years, plus it was going to be helpful for what he needed to do next.

He had missed quite a bit in the terms of the world progressing while being in jail for nearly a decade, so he found it kind of surprising how easy it has become to find out information on anyone, especially with the help of all this social media. Having made himself a Furbook account he was easily able to find almost all the info he needed from looking at Nicks account, along with finding out a few other interesting things. First of all being that it seems that his mother never moved the two of them from the old house. He assumed they would of moved out of there the first chance they got, but they've been living in the same place all these years.

Unfortunately, he also found out that Nick wasn't in Zootopia, and that s where the trail runs dry; the last thing Nick posted was that he was off to hell. Eric had no idea what that meant, but he assumed there were a few that could enlighten him.

That's why he was sitting in the food court of the mall. He was waiting for Nicks friends to hopefully show up so he could ask if they knew where he was. That's also the reason he cleaned himself up, he figured no one would tell him anything if he looked like a crazy, homeless fox.

As he was taking a sip of his soda, he happened to glance over and spot a group of animals that he recognized to be Nicks friends. He grinned to himself and prepared to use his fox charm to get the information he needed. He walked over near the group and showed a picture of Nick to a few passing mammals, making sure the group saw him. Eventually he got over to them and flashed the photo.

"Have you seen this fox anywhere?" He asked sounding as desperate as possible. The mammals gazed at the photo for a second and seemed a little surprised to see that it was Nick.

"I haven't seen him lately, but I know who it is," a coyote answered. Eric's eyes lit up as he pretended to be surprised and excited that he found someone who knew who he was looking for. "Why do you want to know?"

"I Just want to see my nephew and sister. It's been so long since I've seen them and I don't know where to find them." Eric lied easily. He smiled inwardly when he saw that they bought it.

"Well, they live on fang street, but Nicks been out of town. He got sent to Bunnyburow for the summer," the coyote explained.

"Thank you so much, I've been waiting so long to see them again," he told them with slightly fake gratitude.

"No problem," the canine smiled as they walked away.

 _So, he was sent down to Bunnyburow. That means he's probably staying with Vicki's sister and her family_ , Eric thought to himself. Now he knew where to find his son, and he knows where Vicki is; he can do everything he's wanted to do for so many years, and neither of them would see it coming.

Judy was walking back to her house with a little skip to her step, not having a care in the world. She never though anyone would be able to make her so happy, to complete her so much.

* * *

It was nearly 11 by the time she was getting home; hopefully most of her family would be in bed by now so she didn't have to make up an excuse. Nobody from her family knows that she's been going out on dates with a fox, and she'd like to keep it that way. Her parents aren't too fond of foxes, and her siblings can't keep a secret; everyone in the burrows would know about them within a day.

She walked past one of the many barns on her property and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone talk from behind her.

"Have fun." Judy flipped around and faces towards the barn where she heard the voice come from. Out from the dark shadows of the barn walked Judy's younger brother, Hayden. He wore a smug smile that said he knew Everything.

"What the hell, Hayden? What's up with the creeping in the shadows?" She suppressed a yell, not being all that happy with him for scaring her.

"Just waiting for you to get home," he said. "Gota say, never took you for a pred chaser," he grinned from ear to ear. Judy's shoulder sagged and she silently cursed to herself: she was caught.

"How'd you find out?" She asked defeated.

"I got curious to where you have been going lately, so I decided to follow you today. Luckily you didn't go very far. Also, a fox?" He wondered. To say Judy was pissed would be the understatement of the year. She was livid at Hayden for medaling in her personal affairs, but she honestly shouldn't expected anything else from him. He's always been like this, and she knew he was just looking out for her even if she didn't want him to.

"Yes, a fox," She said defensively, folding her arms.

"So it has been a boy that's been making you act this way," She stated, "I knew it! I know some people who owe me a hundred dollars!"

"Wait, Hayden, please don't tell anyone," She begged.

"Why not?"

"You know how mom and dad can be when it comes to foxes. You tell one of our siblings and they'll know before the days out," She told him.

Hayden saw where she was coming from. Being straight forward, their parents are kind of racist towards predators, especially foxes. "Fine," he sighed, not good with keeping secrets, but he'd make the effort for her. "I won't tell anyone, but I'm not going to like it."

"Thanks Hayden, I really appreciate this." She hugged him tightly.

"Yah, yah, yah, come on let's get inside. I'm tired and it's getting cold," he grumbled; he really wanted that hundred dollars.

Judy followed close behind him relieved that she talked Hayden into keeping his mouth shut; she knows how much he loves to talk about things that don't involve him, he gets it from their mom. Taking her mind off this, she started thinking about tomorrow. Her and Nick are planning on meeting up with Skye and Jack in town to have a double date. The bunny won't forget the squeal Skye made when she told the fox her and Nick were dating. Anyways, she is really looking forward to it, it's been awhile since she last saw her two friends. It was going to be fun.

* * *

"Everything is just beyond great here, especially now that I'm with Judy," Nick expressed sheepishly.

"I'm glad you're happy, Nick. I hope that someday I'll be able to meet this Judy" Vicki said to her kit, pleased that her plan had worked out more than she ever anticipated.

"Yah, I'm sure you two will get along just fine," Nick stayed. He paused for a moment as his dark thoughts started to overtake him. "You know mom, I've never actually apologized to you," the fox said shyly.

"For what?"

"For being me, and making your life so much harder than it needed to be. For acting like dad and thinking there wouldn't be any consequences. Basically, for everything I've ever done." Nick didn't know how else to say it, but it felt really good to get that off his chest. He'd been such a pain in her side and he felt so bad about it.

"Oh, Nickolas, you don't need to apologize. Sure, you've been quite a handful these past few years, but your still a kit. You make mistakes, and you've learned from them, and no matter what I will always love you."

Nick wouldn't admit it, but he was nearly in tears by the time she stopped talking. It was nice hearing her say that. "Thanks, mom."

The two continued to talk for the next thirty minutes: Vicki asking how everyone else was doing, Nick wondering how work was going, and both of the talking about just random nonsense to just jeep talking with each other. Nick didn't think he'd ever have this kind of relationship with his mom, and it was nice to talk this long with her.

"Well, Nick, as much as I enjoy our talks I still have work tomorrow," Vicki stated.

"Alright mom, I'll talk to you tomorrow sometime. Love you."

"Love you too, good night."

"Good night, mom." They hung up and Nick sunk back into his bed, satisfied with the day. Nothing had gone wrong, nothing made him upset, or caused him to get pissed off, or made him worry in anyway. All and all, life is good. He honestly thought that something bad would happen by now, but nothing gone wrong since he turned his life around. It almost seemed unreal, but he couldn't complain; it's a lot better than the alternative. He was starting to have the feeling that something was going to go wrong, but he set that aside for paranoia. If something was going to go wrong, it would have already happened by now. For once in his life he decided to push away all his pessimistic feelings and tell himself that everything was fine. He was completely lowering his guard, and that is when everything usually goes wrong.

* * *

 **Another chapter done and done. Hope everyone enjoyed this lovely chapter. Judy and Nick are now dating; Nicks dad, Eric, is one step closer getting to him; Judy's brother finds out about her relationship, and Nicks relationship with his mom continues to grow. A lot going on.**

 **(Now I get to the part where I thank everyone) Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing my story. I can go estky say that I would not be this far into the story of it weren't for you guys.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	17. Good While it Lasted

The fox ran in a frantic frenzy out from the dark alleyway, sprinting as fast as he could towards Judy's car. He ignored all the pains in his body and the blood he was slowly losing; he had only one thing on his mind, and it happened to be in his arms. Nick looked at the bunny he was carrying, cradled in his arms, and felt the rage building in him again as he looked at the unconscious Judy. Tears came to his eyes as the anger swelled up in him. "It's going to be okay," he whispered in a panic, "Everything's going to be okay."

* * *

Nick took in a deep breath of the nice fresh country air and let out a sigh of satisfaction as he gazed across the yard from his high point. For some reason, that can only be explained by boredom, Nick had decided to climb up the tree he usually sits under, and lye down on one of the branches. He'd been up there for a couple hours relaxing, and accidently falling asleep, waiting until Judy comes to pick him up for their double date this evening. He's realizing how lucky he has been to have met Judy not only due to the fact that he is helplessly in love with her, but also because he would have gone insane by now from doing nothing. Without either her or McCabe, Nick wouldn't have done anything all summer except lye around the house.

"Nick?" the fox heard someone call for him down below. He looked down from the tree and saw Robin right below him looking very confused. This is the only place Nick ever is, so not seeing him there is kind of a surprise. Robin got an even bigger surprise when he heard Nicks voice come from above him.

"Whatcha need, Robin?" the younger fox jumped from the sudden voice and frantically looked around for whoever was talking to him. "Up here," Nick called down. Robin looked straight up and tilted his head in confusion.

"What are you doing up there?" He asked.

"Just chilling," Nick said, "What do you need?" He asked again.

"Mom said she wanted to talk to you right now," he relayed the message. Nick nodded his head and started climbing down. On his way down, Nick asked if he knew what she wanted him for. Robin shrugged, "No idea. Just told me to come and get you. Though, I wasn't expecting you to be up in a tree."

Nick laughed, jumping to the ground the last few feet, "You know me, always being unpredictable." Robin gave a small chuckle and rolled his eyes. Over the past few weeks, the two of them had slowly began getting more and more along. After Nick talked to him, he was able to confront his friends about what happened. Not going into much detail about it, Robin and his friends are back hanging out, and the kid who started all of this is no longer apart if their circle of friends.

The two walked back into the house, Nick going to the Kitchen where Robin told him Deb would be, and Robin went off somewhere else. When Nick got to the Kitchen he found a giddy Debra cleaning u the Kitchen being as happy as ever. "Hey Deb, you wanted to talk to me?" Nick asked, leaning up against a counter.

Debra looked over at Nick and her smile faltered slightly. Nick noticed this and suddenly felt slightly concerned. "Yes, Nick. I need to discuss a few things with you," She told him. She set down the rag she was holding and walked up in front of him. "I guess first I should ask how things between you and Judy are going?"

"Everything's great. Better than I ever could have expected," he said with a bit of skepticism. Where was she going with this?

"I'm glad to hear that. It's great to see you happy," She smiled.

"But?" Nick anticipated the follow-up.

"But, you need to be careful around here with how you show your affection. Not everyone is a open-minded with these kinds of things." She explained to her nephew, not wanting anything bad to happen with him. She's seen bad things happen with interspecies couples before, and she doesn't want Nick to go through the same thing.

Nick is well aware of this fact, not as ignorant to the world as she may think. He was thankful for her concern, but it wasn't needed. "Thanks, Deb, but Judy and I will be fine. We know not everyone is on board with what we're doing, but we don't really care. And if someone has something to say about it, let's just say I'll have a few words to tell them," he smirked.

Debra sighed, she cant say that she's surprised that's how Nick would answer- he has a bit of a big head and she knows he won't be easily swayed. "Alright, whatever you say. I just want you to be safe. Vicki would have my tail if anything bad happened to you."

"Don't worry, I'm the definition of careful," Nick boasted. Deb rolled her eyes and went back to her daily routine.

"Have fun tonight," She said as Nick left the Kitchen.

"Always do."

Nick hopped excitedly into Judy's car, excited for their double date with Skye and Jack. The last time he saw them he wouldn't really call themselves friends; he was hoping to be able to change that tonight. It would mostly be up to them because their the ones who have a grudge against him for what he did to Judy. He can only hope that they'd leave that all in the past like Judy and him have.

"Ready for another great night?" Judy asked.

"You bet your fluff I am, Carrots! Been looking forward to it all day," Nick expressed with enthusiasm. "of course, I'm always excited to go anywhere with you," he winked.

Judy rolled her eyes at Nicks attempt at flattery. "Oh, Nick, you're making me blush," Judy playfully mocked. It was these moments he enjoyed most with her. Sure it was nice when everything was peaceful with them looking out romantically at a sunset, but being able to have a nice friendly conversation where they can poke fun at each other is so much better in his opinion. He just loved it.

They continued their playful banter as Judy drove towards wherever it was that she and Skye had planned to go. He actually was never told where they were going, not that it really bothered. As long as he was with Judy, then he'd be fine with it.

Next thing he knew, he was sitting down in a booth at a restaurant next to Judy, and across from Jack and Skye. Though, it was a little more than just a restaurant; it was also partially a movie theatre. It was kind of cool to be able to have dinner and a show like this. They had already ordered their food, which was just a large pizza, and now they were just waiting for the movie to begin.

"So how's everything going between you two so far," Skye asked with an eager smile.

"Everything's going just fine so far, and I hope for it to stay that way," Nick said gazing happily at his bunny.

"Can't say I've been happier with anyone else," Judy told them.

The other two looked at the happy couple gleefully as they reminded them so much of themselves. They were glad that Judy had been able to find someone she really liked. Every relationship they had ever seen her in she could never really be herself, and they could always tell they would never last. It got to the point where they made bets at how long it would take until she and her newest boyfriend would break up. But they see something different with her and Nick. They've never seen Judy so relaxed and happy around anyone else. This leads them to believe that maybe, just maybe, Judy's finally found her one.

"Good to hear. Glad to see you with someone you actually like," Skye commented.

"It is nice being with this fox," Judy sighed happily, lightly pressing her head against Nicks side.

"Got to say, you two are a lot braver about your relationship," Jack stated quietly as he looked around the place at the other mammals. "We hardly ever go out in public."

"Yah, we try and stay away from the public eye," Skye admitted. They fear what others may think of them a lot more than Judy and Nick do. They've talked about it before, and they don't have much of a problem with what others may think about them. The two have already faced enough scrutiny for who they are, so they're already pretty uses to it.

"I don't really care about what any of these people think about me," Nick shrugged, "Especially if the reason they have a problem makes me so happy." Nick smirked over at Judy who gave him the same look back.

"Aww," Skye purred warmheartedly, "That's so sweet. Why don't to you ever talk to me like that," She swatted at Jack's shoulder. Jack raised his paws in defense and gave a confused expression from the sudden attack, getting a wave of laughter from the others.

Soon after, the movie started and the couples ate as they enjoyed the show. About halfway through, Judy found herself laying on Nicks lap, enjoying the body warmth she was getting from him. Skye and Jack noticed and looked awkwardly at each other. They still feel scared about publicly showing their affection for one another. Now if they were alone, then that would be a whole other story; given those circumstances they'd be all over each other so much that it would probably make Nick and Judy uncomfortable. Being here, though, it made them scared about how others would look at them, and how it would affect their future. However, seeing Judy and Nick all snuggled together made them jealous, to the point they got a little brave. Not by much, but Jack having his arm around her waist out of sight from everyone was them making progress.

Judy and Nick were both in paradise as they embraced each other. Every so often, Nick would look down from the movie at Judy and couldn't help but smile just from the image of her being nuzzled up against him. He loved this feeling, the intimacy of it gave him a feeling like no other. There was only one thing other than this he could think of that would be better, but he was far from ready from doing that, especially with Judy. This was good enough for him.

Judy's smile didn't go away the entire time she was pressed up on him, loving being able to be this close to her lovely fox. She also enjoyed seeing Nick look down at her every so often thinking she didn't notice it. It gave her an even warmer feeling he was looking over her.

Eventually, the movie came to an end and the lights came on. The couples shared a few comments on their thoughts of the movie as they were walking out from the building. Mostly, everyone enjoyed the film thinking it is the best of the Spiderpigs to come out.

"We need to do this again sometime," Judy said as they walked out of the building.

"Yah, this was fun," Skye agreed. "But maybe we can go somewhere a little less public," She suggested, getting a fierce nod from Jack.

"That would be a lot better," the buck voiced, not liking the lack of contact he and Skye have had tonight.

"Whatever works for you two," Judy shrugged. "until then, I guess," Judy said, waving goodbye. Everyone else said their farewells and walked off towards their cars. Judy and Nick walked paw-in-paw back to Judy's car, both satisfied with another great date.

Suddenly, Nick took his paw away from Judy's and started frantically patted at his pants. Judy looked at him confused until Nick looked her straight in the eyes. "I left my wallet on the table," he smiled sheepishly, giving an embraced laugh. "I'll be right back," he said as he ran back towards the building.

Judy rolled her eyes as she saw Nick take off to his wallet, "dumb fox," She whispered playfully. She swears if his head wasn't attached he'd lose it. This isn't the first time he's left something behind; he tends to alternate between his phone and wallet. Judy kept on walking back to her car, deciding to meet him there.

She had only walked twenty feet when something caught her ear. She came to an abrupt halt and stuck her ears up at full attention, seeing if she could hear it again. She waited for about ten seconds starting to think it was just her imagination; she was about to pass it off as nothing, until as clear as day the rabbit heard a muffled voice coming from the alley five feet behind her. It sounded like someone calling for help.

Judy immediately turned around and came to the entrance of the alley and stared down it. "Hello?" She called out into the darkness, hoping to get some sort of response. At first she got nothing. "Hello, anyone there?" She called out again, walking slightly forward into the alleyway.

"Help." It was very faint, but loud enough for Judy to hear it perfectly. Someone was in there calling for help. Something didn't feel right about it, and her gut was telling her to not go down there; but her instincts to help others, no matter what, was screaming at her to where she couldn't ignore it. She took a few cautious steps, still feeling unsay about the whole thing, until she heard groaning and another call for help. Judy quickened her pace into the alley and started looking around for the source of the groaning.

Judy had walked in about thirty feet following the pained moans of the animals who was calling for help when she finally saw the silhouette of someone laying on the ground next to some pallets placed against the wall.

"Holy hell, are you alright?" Judy gasped as she ran over to the injured animal. She shook them, trying to get some sort of cooperation, but she wasn't having any luck. "Come on, work with me here," She seethed, rolling the stranger over to get a good look at them. When she flipped him over, a wave of regret and fear ran through her body. The weasel she knew as Travis was glancing at her with a sinister smirk. If Travis was here, then undoubtedly he would be somewhere close…

' **WHACK** '

Judy was sent to the ground, hitting it with a hard thud. She couldn't do anything, the shock of being hit in the back of the head with some sort of solid object rendered her useless. Her vision was blurred making it that much more impossible to see in the darkness she was in; all sense of coordination left her, leaving the world spinning making her want to throw up. The only thing she could do was hear the evil cackle of Gideon standing above her.

"Not so tough now are ya, little bunny" he taunted. Judy wanted to yell at him so bad, to call him out for the coward he is for hitting her from behind. She wanted to stand up and pound the smugness out of him. Unfortunately all that came out were angry groans and slurred words.

"What was that?" the fox mocked picking her up off the ground by the collar of her shirt until they were face to face, "I couldn't hear you," He growled. Judy was powerless over this, but she was still able to spit in his face which, at the moment, was the best thing she could do.

"You little shit," he snarled, hurling her against the brick building next to them. Judy gasped desperately for breath as the wind got knocked out of her, trying to crawl away from Gideon who she could hear walking towards her again.

"You ain't have no clue how long I've been wait'n for this," he said stomping on her back and flattening her to the ground. "Turnen everyone against me doesn't deserve to go unpunished," he shouted. He flipped her around to her back and wrapped his paw around her head. Flashbacks to when they were kids came flashing back to Judy's fogged up mind, and for once in a long time fear started to consume her. Last time left a few scars on her face that stung like hell; she had a feeling it was going to be a lot worse this time.

Nick walked back to the car with an embarrassed smile, already knowing the crap he was going to get from Judy once he got back to her. This was like the fifth time he's done this, and every time Judy would become more and more ruthless. All he had was himself to blame.

Nick got back to the car and became slightly confused when he didn't see the bunny in the car waiting for him. Thinking she was messing with him, Nick called out her name telling her to stop hiding from him. He waited and waited, and became increasingly worried when she didn't show herself.

"Judy?" He shouted again, starting to become scared for her. _M_ _aybe she just went back to see Skye and Jack?_ He thought. Honestly, it didn't sound very plausible to him, but it's better than thinking about the alternatives.

He started jogging urgently towards where he saw Skye and Jack take off. He was praying that's where she would be. Every other place he was thinking about scared him beyond believe.

He was halfway back to the restaurant when sudden shouting caused him to stop in his tracks. "Turnen everyone against me doesn't deserve to go unpunished," he looked down the alley where he heard the shouting come from. Fortunately having good night vision helped him see three figures forty feet down, one of which was being help to the ground by another.

An anger that the fox had never felt before boiled up inside of him. He didn't even have to fully see to know exactly who was on the ground: Judy. Not wasting another second, Nick took out in a full sprint towards the bastard above Judy. He lunged, tackling him at full force, sending both of them flying to the ground. "What the hell," he heard the attacker groan as they both picked themselves up. Nick looked at the animal who was attacking Judy, and became even more enraged to see it was the damned fox that tortured Judy for years.

Gideon looked at the smaller fox and couldn't help but laugh mockingly. "And who do you think you are?" He barked.

"I'm the fox who's going to beat your ass," Nick snarled. Gideon looked at him in amusement. "You think you'll win two on one?" He cackled as Travis rejoined his side.

"Oh trust me, I've taken on mammals bigger than both of you," he stated, ready to fight the two predators. Luckily he had one thing going for him, they underestimate what he can do. What they don't know is that he's grown up in the ghetto, so he was forced to learn how to fight.

Not surprisingly, Gideon sent out Travis first to try and wear down Nick. If he didn't have to do any hard work, then he wouldn't; that's what he has Travis for.

The weasel didn't waist anytime in throwing a punch at Nick, which he easily dodged. Travis went for another blow, but got a big surprise when Nick caught his arm, pulled the weasel towards him, and gave him a blow to his stomach. Travis stumbled back sucking wind, causing he to get increasingly angered. He charged again at Nick, claws ready, and swatted towards the foxes chest. Again, Nick dodged with ease and punched Travis in the side.

As this fight was going on, Gideon stayed back and watched, seeing that Travis was losing and that the other fox could actually hold his own; at least with only one animal attacking him. Gideon decided it was time to intervene when Nick got a punch right across Travis's face. Without warning, he lunged towards Nick and swatted his claws at the foxes face. Nick barely saw him out of the corner of his eye and pulled his face back, only to get slashed down his chest. He seethed and reeled back from the pain. He held his paw on his chest only to feel blood coming out. He became to preoccupied with bleeding that he didn't see the fist coming for his face. He was suddenly sent to the ground, the pain growing on his face; but he didn't stay down for long, quickly hoping up. This time, however, Nick was ready for both of them, and he was done messing around. Judy needed him, so this needed to end quickly.

Travis was the first to come at him again, this time able to claw down his arm of the still disoriented Nick. That seemed to wake him up. Travis swatted at him, but Nick blocked his attempt to punch him and swiftly brought his fist across the weasels chin. Travis stumbled back a few steps before falling straight on his back: he was knocked out cold.

Gideon looked in shock at his friend laying unconscious on the ground from only one punch; Nick took this opportunity while he was distracted to punch him in the gut. Gideon bent forward from the gut punch, but was able to quickly recover and block Nicks next attempt to hit him. Gideon threw a quick punch, which Nick ducked under, then dodged another swing. Nick blocked the next attempt and caught Gideon right on the nose, and then met with another hit to the side of his head, followed up by another to the other side. Nick grabbed the collar of Gideon's shirt and repeatedly punched him square in the face. Over and over until he fell to his knees, face beaten and bloody.

His anger told him to keep punching, but he knew he had to stop. Judy needed him, and he knew Gideon wouldn't be able to do anything else to harm them.

"Never come near Judy or me ever again, got it?" Nick growled. Gideon gave a small nod, fearing Nick would go berserk on him again. "Good." Nick let him got, and the large fox fell limp on the ground.

Quickly, Nick raced over to Judy kneeling down at her side. He shook her, asking if she was okay, but she didn't answer him. She was out cold, blood seeping out from her head. Things weren't looking very good. If he wanted Judy to be fine, he knew he'd have to get Judy to the hospital as soon as possible. He scooped the bunny into his arms and ran as fast as he could to Judy's car. The hospital was only a ten minute drive, so he'd get their quickly. He just hopes Judy won't suffer any permanent damage.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered in a panic, "Everything's going to be okay."

* * *

 **Seems the smooth sailing has come to an end for Nick. Just when everything was going great, life had to throw this at him. Along with his father still out there, things aren't going to be going very well for our favorite fox.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has read my story so far, and to everyone who has favorited, followed, and or reviewed, I really appreciate it.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	18. Fear of a Fox

Nick thought he had been scared before, back to his days as a kit when his dad went on drunken outbursts of rage that would cause him to have nightmares; but seeing Judy passed out in the passenger seat of the car, while heavily bleeding from the head, sent terror through him like he couldn't believe; His blood ran cold, and his heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest. The drive from the parking lot to the hospital may only be 10 minutes away, but it was feeling like an eternity. He kept looking over at the bunny with dread, seeing the blood slowly seep from her head and having unwanted thoughts plague his mind.

"It's going to be okay." That had been about the hundredth time Nick has told himself that, the statement being the only thing to keep him calm- at least as calm as someone could be in this situation- and help him stay focused with the task at paw: get Judy to the Emergency Room. He'd definitely have to thank Tim later, because if it wasn't for him he wouldn't have a clue how to drive this car.

A wave of relief hit the fox as he saw the hospital come into view. He glanced over at the rabbit again for a split second "Your going to be just fine," he told the unconscious body of Judy, mostly to give himself some reassurance. He gunned it the last couple hundred feet, speeding into the parking lot and around to the entrance of the ER. Nick came to a grinding halt, then taking no time in scooping Judy back into his arms and racing out of the car and into the building.

He ran in and immediately started yelling for help, causing a big commotion and gaining the attention of everyone almost instantly. One of the workers raced over towards him and saw the limp bunny in his arms.

"What happened?" The female bear asked in a calm, but demanding tone.

"She was jumped, I'm not entirely sure what happened but she's been bleeding really bad from her head," Nick explained, having a hard time getting the words to come out of his mouth.

After that, everything just turned into a big blur for the fox as time seemed to speed up around him. One moment he was holding Judy in his arms, keeping her pressed tight against his chest, and the next moment a group of mammals were racing Judy behind closed doors. Nick stared aimlessly at the doors she disappeared behind, him being forced to stay behind and just wait.

This all seemed so unreal. How could this happen? Why did this have to happen? Everything had been going so smoothly for him up to this point, and then this had to happen. That damned fox, Gideon, had to come along and screw everything up. Just as his life was getting good, just as he was becoming happy, life had to come and succor punch him in the face.

It wasn't until this point that Nick noticed just how hard he was breathing from all that happened. Fighting Gideon and Travis, sprinting with Judy to her car, and driving her here all happened within a 15 minute time period. He was also so preoccupied with getting Judy to safety that he had forgotten all about the injuries that he himself had gotten. All the adrenaline coursing through him started to diminish, making him start to feel just how much pain he was in. The scratches down his chest and arm started to sting, while his right eye started throbbing where Gideon landed a punch on him. Nick was in such a dazed state that he didn't even notice a nurse walk up to him.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nick jerked his head up towards the voice to see a male lynx looking at him with concern. "It looks like you might need some help as well," he gestured to Nicks bloody figure.

Nick just nodded his head, not in the mood for talking. The lynx gestured for Nick to follow him, and lead the fox to a room where a doctor would help him.

An hour later, Nick was sat slouched over on a chair in the waiting room trying his hardest to keep himself awake. So much had happened in the hour that followed him bringing Judy in here. First, he got himself all patched up by a doctor; it wasn't anything severe, luckily. All they had to do was clean out the cut wounds and put some bandages over them; they also gave him a bag of ice to keep over his eye to help with the swelling. After getting that taken care of, he was given a change of cloths and sent back out to the waiting room.

Following that, he was forced to talk with the authorities. Luckily for him, unlike most times he spoke with the police, they were very kind about it. Turns out they know Judy pretty well since she likes to go down to the police station and learn anything she can about the work; so when they found out Nick was friends with Judy, they treated him very kindly. All they did was ask him a couple of questions concerning the attack, and Nick answered everything honestly; even the part where he beat the shit out of Gideon. It didn't take long for them to get all they needed and leave. That left Nick all alone in the ER late at night waiting for some good news from the doctor.

It was about the sixth time Nick almost fell asleep when he heard the doors leading in from the outside fling open. Nick slowly looked over to see two middle aged rabbits walk in with worried expressions. Nick gulped nervously as he realized just who these two were. He followed them with his eyes as they walked over to the front desk and began talking with the receptionist. They talked only for a second before the bear pointed over towards Nick. The young fox quickly averted his eyes, avoiding eye contact with the two rabbits. How could he face them now? After all that happened tonight, plus knowing just how much they 'love' interspecies relationships, it didn't leave much excitement for him in meeting them. You could only imagine his trepidation as they started walking over towards him.

He prepared himself for what he expected to be an assault of words; not that it would make him feel any worse than he already did.

"Pardon me," Nick heard a male voice talk at him. He really wished that he could disappear and avoid the conversation all together. Unfortunately, there was no getting away from this.

Nick looked up and met eyes with the buck who was talking to him. He didn't show it, but the rabbit was slightly taken back by the sadness apparent in his gaze.

"Yes?" Nick asked dryly.

"Um, well I'm sorry to be bothering ya, but we were told that you'd be able to tell us what happened to our daughter, Judy?" It was only when Nick heard the worry in the rabbits voice that he noticed how distressed they looked. It was almost as bad as him.

Nick sighed deeply, remembering back to everything that happened only hours ago. He recalled how much of a good time they were having before all the events that lead him to the hospital. Of course, these two didn't know they were on a date, because they had no idea him and Judy were dating. She had kept it a secret from them, not wanting to face their prejudice against not only interspecies relationships, but also foxes. Now he was stuck having to deal with them all alone.

"Yah, I know what happened," Nick started, seeing them look at him expectantly. "She was jumped by a fox and a weasel. I guess the fox and her have had some history before." Nick stated.

Stu groaned angrily, "Damn that Gideon Gray, damn him to hell," he growled. _Agreed_ Nick thought to himself with equal hostility.

"Not to be rude, but how is it you know Judy? I don't think I've ever seen you around before," Bonnie asked quizzically. It was a valid thing to ask considering there aren't very many foxes in the burrows, and in a town like this you tend to get to know everyone; for better or for worse.

"We met about a month ago. I'm Tim and Debra's nephew visiting for the summer," he explained.

"Really? Your related to those two?" Stu asked with delighted surprise. He really likes that family, and believe them to be one of the better families in the burrow, even if they are foxes.

"I'm guessing you two met when she went to visit McCabe?" Bonnie inferred, getting a verifying nod from Nick. Of course, that wasn't really the truth, but he didn't feel like telling them how him and Judy really met.

Stu and Bonnie both became instantly suspicious of this whole thing, mostly with the fox. It wasn't anything incriminating, or really anything bad, but if this fox and Judy had met around a month ago why is this the first time they're hearing about him. They figured their daughter was hiding something from them, but decided not to hang on it for now; they'd bring it up when they know she is okay.

"So you were with Judy when all this happened?" Stu asked. Nick closed his eyes and gave a solemn nod. It hurt more and more every time he thought back to it.

"I forgot my wallet at the restaurant we ate at and went to go grab it, and when I came back she was nowhere to be found. I was lucky I heard Gideon yell from an alley or else I don't think I ever would have found her. I fought the two off from Judy, but was too late. Judy already…" Nick paused abruptly, sucking in a shaky breath trying to compose himself. He really didn't want to breakdown in front of Judy's parents. He shook his head, and was able to calm himself down enough to where he could talk again. "Anyway, I brought her here as soon as I could," he finished quickly.

Stu and Bonnie didn't know how to react. Of course they were very grateful towards the fox for what he did for their daughter, but something didn't seem right. The way Nick was acting told the two that there was more to the whole thing than they were being told. They were definitely going to bring this up with Judy when they are able to see her, considering that she's a hundred percent alright.

"Well, I guess we have a lot to thank you for," Stu gave a half smile towards the fox. "You've done more than enough for our family."

Nick stayed silent, continually gazing aimlessly at the floor, getting weird looks from the two rabbits. 'I'd do anything to make sure Judy's safe' he wanted to tell them, but knew he couldn't say that out loud without raising suspicions of his and Judy's relationship.

"I don't think we caught your name," Bonnie pointed out.

"Nick," He responded. He felt kind of bad about how he was acting towards them, but his head wasn't really all that clear at the moment. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept going back to the nightmarish image of Judy unconscious and covered in her own blood. It made him sick to his stomach.

"Excuse me, Mister and Misses Hopps," the three looked towards the sound of the voice to see a doctor waiting patiently for them.

"Is everything okay? Please tell me she's fine," Stu started freaking out, highly concerned for the well-being of his daughter. Bonnie had to put a paw on his shoulder to get him to calm down.

"All things considered, she's going to be fine," he replied calmly. You wouldn't be able to tell, but hearing that relieved a huge amount of pressure from Nick's shoulders. "She took one hell of a beating, is moderately bruised up, and has some blood loss, but the only serious injury sustained was the blow she took to the back of the head causing a giant gash that we had to stich up; along with that she also suffers from a severe concussion. Other than that, though, she'll be perfectly fine with no trace of any long lasting conditions." Stu and Bonnie both gave sighs of relief, a feeling of solace coming over them. "If you'd like, any family members here can come and see her, though I will tell you that she is resting." The parents didn't care, they needed to see their daughter for assurance to put them completely at ease.

Nick watched longingly as the doctor lead the two bunnies to Judy. He wanted nothing more than to go and see her, and tell her how sorry he was for not being there to protect her.

"You should probably go home and get some rest." Nick nearly jumped out of his fur from the sudden voice. He turned looked over to see that same lynx who had helped cleaned and bandaged up his wounds earlier. He wondered just how long he had been standing there. "You can come and visit her tomorrow, but you should really go home," he recommended, though it sounded more like an order. Nick had an urge to argue with him, to tell him he was going to stay here all night, but he didn't want to fight him; plus, there really isn't a point in staying anyways.

Deciding to listen, Nick heaved himself out of his chair. "Thanks, again, for…" Nick pointed towards himself, gesturing to where be got cut up.

"No need to thank me, it's just my job," the lynx smiled.

Nick walked out of the building and out towards Judy's car. He decided that he'd take her car home, and then he'd be able to come back in the morning without having to catch a ride from anyone else. He assumed that by tomorrow a lot of her family would visiting her throughout the day, so he'd get there early to avoid the heard.

He got into the car and started driving back home in silence. It was almost midnight by the time he was leaving the hospital and he was absolutely exhausted. He hoped he'd be able to make it back home without passing out behind the wheel. As he drove, his thoughts drifted back to the alley and the dread he felt seeing Judy lying bloody on the ground; the rage as he faced the two predators; and the satisfaction as he repeatedly punched Gideon in the face. He doesn't regret beating the shit out of Gideon, the fox deserved it with everything he did, and has done, to Judy. Maybe this time he'd learn to stay away for good. The only thing that gave Nick any comfort about tonight's events is that Gideon will be spending some time in a cell.

Nick pulled into his driveway and climbed out of the car. He was glad to finally be back home after everything that has gone down; he was looking forward to passing out in his bed and forgetting that tonight even happened. He walked through the front door, wanting to immediately just go to his room; unfortunately that would have to wait.

"Nick, thank God," Debra exclaimed, causing Nick to jump back. "Where have you been? And what happened?" She gasped seeing Nicks black eye and the stench of blood. He mentally slapped himself, forgetting all about Deb and Tim. He didn't even have to look to know his phone was blown up with messages. How was he going to tell them what happened without totally freaking them out. Honestly, he knew there was no way to do that, so he'd just have to rip off the band-aid.

"Judy's in the hospital," was the first thing he decided to tell them. Telling by their reactions, that wasn't what they expected him to say.

"What happened?" Tim asked highly concerned.

"Are you alright?" Deb followed up with an equal amount of worry.

"I'm okay, just a few scratches. Judy, however, wasn't as lucky. She got jumped by Gideon and I had to take her to the hospital," he explained.

Debra sighed heavily, "That Gideon has caused too much trouble for everyone," she grumbled.

"So is Judy going to be okay?" Tim questioned.

"Yah, the doctor said besides a concussion and a gash on the back of her head, she'll be fine." Nick relayed what he heard from the doctor. If something more severe had happened to Judy, Nick doesn't know how he would deal with it. He already feels bad enough for everything; he wouldn't be able to handle it if was any worse.

"Well I'm glad you're okay, and I hope Judy gets better soon," Deb expressed with relief. She's already had to deal with enough because of Gideon, she doesn't need to deal with anything else due to him.

They talked for a little while longer, Deb and Tim triple checking that Nick was really okay, before Nick told them he was really tired and needed to get some sleep. By the time he got to his room he could hardly keep his eyes open. He walked over and collapsed on his bed, immediately passing out as soon as his head touched the pillows.

Nick groggily pushed himself out of his bed, feeling just as bad as when he fell asleep. His muscles ached, his cuts were burning, and his eye was throbbing. He had been hoping that resting would help him feel better, but that's unfortunately not how it worked out. He was half tempted to go back to bed and sleep the whole day and rest up a bit, but there was no way he was going to do that. He needed to go and see Judy, and there wasn't anything that was going to stop him.

However, he decided that he should probably take a shower to get the rest of the blood stains out of his fur. He would of done it last night, but he could hardly even walk so taking a shower wasn't at the top of his priorities. He quickly rinsed off, making sure to get all the blood off of him. The sight of the blood going down the drain made him shiver; the fact some of it was Judy's made him queasy. He was never more glad to get out of a shower then at that moment.

Nick speedily got dressed and swiftly made his way to Judy's car. He was up pretty early, so he didn't see anyone else as he made his way through the house and out the door. In no time he was driving down the road towards the hospital where he hoped Judy would be awake so he could talk with her. He knows the doctor said she would be fine, but he wouldn't be completely at ease until he saw her for himself.

It wasn't long until Nick walked into the hospital and made his way towards Judy's room. He suddenly started becoming increasingly nervous as he approached her room. How was he going to approach her with how he was feeling about all of this. He blamed himself for everything that happened to her. If he hadn't left his wallet on the table, if he was with Judy on the walk back to the car, then maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe he wouldn't be having to come and visit her in a hospital room. If he had just been there for her.

Nick quickly wiped away the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Yah, he blamed himself for all of this, but that wasn't going to stop him from seeing his bunny.

The fox walked up to her door and lightly knocked, hoping she was awake. His heart slightly fluttered when she heard her voice say "Come in." He took another deep breath before entering into the room. Nick looked at Judy and couldn't stop himself from smiling widely. Judy was sat up in her bed browsing through her phone as if there wasn't anything wrong. He doesn't think he knows anyone else that would be this nonchalant about being in a hospital with bandaged being wrapped around their head.

"Judy," he finally said after taking a few steps towards her. Judy glanced up from her phone, and smiled when she saw Nick walking towards her. If there was anyone she wanted to see it was her fox.

"Nick," she spoke softly. Nick got up right next to her bed, and the two stared lovingly at each other. Judy was about to say something, but was cut off when Nick said something she wasn't expecting.

"I'm sorry Judy." It was so quiet that Judy barley heard it. Nick now had his eyes closed as his lips quivered; he was trying his hardest not to break down crying.

"Sorry? Why?" Judy wondered. She was genuinely confused as to why he was apologizing to her, especially after everything he did. Nick might not know this, but Judy was awake the whole time he fought off Gideon and Travis. She couldn't see anything as it happened because of her injuries, but she heard everything clearly.

"I should have been there with you. I shouldn't have aloud this to happen to you. It all my fault," Nick clenched his fists, growing increasingly frustrated with himself.

Judy looked at the distressed fox with pity. "Nick," she placed a paw on his shoulder getting him to look up at her. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this," she pointed sternly at him. Nick was taken back by the sudden aggression in her voice. "It's not your fault that Gideon's an asshole and a coward. You did everything you could have done. You came in and saved me from getting a lot more hurt. If you didn't come when you did, I would be in a lot worse shape than I already am. I owe you a lot; so like I said, don't you dare blame yourself."

Nick was at a loss for words, not only from how aggressive she was speaking, but also that she was aware what he did. He thought she was knocked out cold for the whole fight, but apparently not. The room fell silent for awhile while Nick let Judy's words sink in. He felt like he had to take the blame, because whenever anything bad happens it seems to be his fault . But Judy's words struck deeply. After about five minutes of silence, Nick finally broke into a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Judy asked happily.

"I don't think I've ever heard you swear," he chuckled. Judy rolled her eyes and laughed with him.

"Really? Out of everything I said, you focused on me swearing?"

Nick just shrugged, "What can I say, I like to point out your flaws since your usually so perfect."

"You stupid fox," She blushed from the sudden compliment. He always knew what to say to get her red.

"Sly bunny."

They looked at each other for a moment before both leaned forward and connected in a kiss. It wasn't their first, but both of them would agree that it was the best one they ever shared. They pulled away and gazed at one another lovingly. Nothing could ever ruin this moment.

"Well, that's not what I was expecting to walk into."

Judy and Nicks eyes both went wide and they whipped their heads over towards the door. Standing in the doorway with an evil smirk was Judy's brother, Hayden.

"Hayden, what are you doing here?" Judy asked in a panic. She knows he's already aware about her and Nick, but if he was here that means there's probably another hoard of her siblings behind him.

"I was just coming to see my older sister; maybe try to comfort her in her time of distress. But it seems he's got that all under control." Hayden gestured to Nick, who was just staring at the buck with interest. He figured he'd be freaking out by now, but he seemed so calm about it.

"Is anyone else coming?" Judy questioned frantically. Hayden shook his head, knowing why she was freaking out so much.

"Don't worry, I came alone before everyone else so I could talk to you in peace. Your secret will still be in tact," he assured her. Judy sighed in relief. She's so glad it was only Hayden that caught her and Nick kissing. If it had been anyone else things could have gotten bad.

"So… he knows?" Nick pointed at Hayden.

"Yah, he caught me coming home from our date on the hill. He had gotten suspicious about me, and decided to mingle in my personal life," she growled at her brother.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for my sister," He shrugged. "But you probably should go before our siblings get here. They'll get kind of suspicious if they see a strange fox in here." As much as he didn't want to leave, Nick saw his point. He looked over and knew that Judy was thinking the same thing.

"I'll be alright, plus I should be getting out of here later today, so there's that," she smiled optimistically. Nick walked to the door past Hayden and turned to say goodbye to Judy.

"See you soon."

"Yah," she nodded. "And Nick." She called to him right before he left, "When we do see each other again, I think we need to talk about you meeting my parents as my boyfriend."

* * *

 **Seems Judy gave Nick one hell of a scare. Luckily, though, she seems to be just fine. Now the only thing Nick has to worry about is Judy's parents.**

 **As always, thanks to everyone who has supported this story in anyway, you guys and gals are the best.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	19. The Truth

"Are you sure about this?" Nick asked nervously.

"Yah, they need to know," Judy replied, just as nervous as the fox she was stood next to.

The two were walking towards Judy's house, walking as slow as they could on a path that connected the two properties. It had been around a week and a half since Judy was attacked and Nick was forced to rush her to the hospital. Nick would admit to anyone that he's more than glad all of that is done and over with. All the anxiety and fear he felt throughout that whole ordeal probably took a few years off his life with how much stress it caused him. Fortunately, they could put that behind them.

Like the doctor said, Judy wouldn't suffer any long term symptoms and was able to leave the day after she was brought in. She, however, still had to deal with everything that came with her concussion. Most of it had cleared up, but she would still feel nauseous at times and get minor headaches every now and then. Other than that, she felt fine. The only other complaint she has is how much the stitches itched. Whatever Gideon hit her with (She figured it was a brick) cut deep into her head, so they had to stitch her up. That means she now has a bald spot from where they had to shave her fur, and the things never seemed to stop itching. At least she was able to cover up her bald spot with a hat. She had been wearing a baseball cap for the past week to hide it.

Back to the topic at paw, Judy had kept her word about talking with Nick to tell her parents about them. She hated keeping secrets from them, and this was a big secret she had been keeping. They deserve to know about her relationship, even if they don't entirely agree with it.

"What if they, you know, star freaking out on us?" Nick wondered aloud. He really wanted her parents to like him, but saw that being difficult with their opinions of foxes; plus, the other night at the hospital wasn't the best first impression.

"I don't know," she sighed in defeat. She had tried to think through every scenario that might go down, and how she would handle it, but she just doesn't have the answer for everything. "We'll just have to deal with it if it happens."

"So just wing-it? Perfect! That's my specialty," he beamed down at the bunny. He knows that she's even more nervous than he is, so he was trying to comfort her in any way possible. It put a tiny smile on her face, but the worry was still evident on her face. She suddenly stopped walking, getting Nick to look at her with concern.

"Everything okay, Carrots?" Nick asked, noticing the troubled look she had.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Judy said. "We can do this later, my parents don't have to know right now." Judy was trying hard to back pedal from her plan. She wasn't ready to face her parents about this yet. Turing around and running away seemed like the best thing to do in this situation, or anything that doesn't involve going up to her parents and dealing with them.

Nick doesn't think he has ever seen Judy like this; acting anxious and scared. This isn't the Judy Hopps he knows, and he'd make sure to remind her just who she is.

"What?" Judy asked, seeing Nick look down at her with playful disappointment. He leaned himself up against a tree and crossed his arms.

"This isn't like you," the fox pointed out. "The Judy I know wouldn't turn tail and run away from anything. She dives head first into every situation."

"bu… I…" Judy didn't have a response for him. He's right, this isn't like her at all. Since when has she ever ran away from anything that scared her. The rabbit takes on every obstacle with a confident smile. So why was this causing her to act this way.

Nick pushed himself from the tree and crouched down next to Judy until they were on eye level with each other. "You don't have to worry about anything. Your parents seem nice enough, and I'm sure they won't act too rashly against their own daughter. And remember, I'll be right there with you the whole time," Nick assured her, trying to bring back up her confidence. Judy closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She knows Nick is right, but it doesn't stop her from worrying so much. Family is everything to a rabbit, so her being cautious of this whole situation is understandable. Finally after a few moments, Judy opened her eyes and looked into Nicks love filled eyes. How lucky she is to have this fantastic fox in her life.

"Thanks, Nick," Judy said softly.

"No problem, Fluff," Nick replied, kissing her on the forehead before standing back up, "Now let's make our way into the belly of the beast!" Nick joked as he started confidently strolling towards Judy's house. Judy looked at the fox with a small smile before walking after him; it was nice to see the real Nick. Before they officially started dating, Nick was never like this; he acted more shy and reserved around her rather than cunning and confident like he truly is. The only thing the bunny had always gotten from him is his sense of humor; nothing could ever be able to stop Nick from making a bad joke.

Judy caught back up with Nick and the two walked side by side towards the enormous building that was Judy's home. Nick has seen the house many a time, considering it would be pretty hard to miss, and always marveled at just how big it is. It had to be at least the size of an airplane hanger, reaching up three stories high. Nick was used to seeing small apartments, and little homes; not giant mansions that hold hundreds of bunnies. It made sense why it was so large; big family means big house, but the size still amazed him.

As soon as Nick stepped on the property, he noticed that all eyes were set on him. Every one of Judy's siblings that saw the two walk by stared with surprise as the unknown fox walked along towards the house with Judy at his side. Amongst the surprised, and confused, Hayden looked at them with a proud smile; he knew exactly what the two were doing. "Good luck, Jude," he whispered happily to himself before returning to his daily chores.

Judy ushered Nick into a side door of the building, pushing him inside an empty room where they could be alone for a second. "Alright, just follow close behind me, it's easy to get lost in here," Judy said leading Nick through the hallways. They weaved through the house, made their way upstairs until they came to a pair of doors that were much larger than any of the others.

"So I'm guessing this is your parents room?" Nick asked.

"Why would you think that?" Judy joked as she knocked on the door, seeing if anyone was in the room. After their was no reply, Judy assumed the room was empty and pushed the doors open and walked in the room.

"So, any reason we're going into your mom and dad's room?" Nick wondered, a little on edge that he was in his girlfriend's parents room.

"This is where mom and dad have talks with us individually. It's a good thing to get some one on one time with them and talk about issues we're having in our lives, or in this case talking about you."

Nick nodded as he scanned around the master bedroom. It was a lot more than just a bedroom, to be honest. It was almost like a house within a house: having a large lounging section with two chairs and a couch; a grand bathroom; along with a massive bed over in the corner. It is a lot nicer than anything he ever thought he'd see.

"Just how rich are you?" Nick suddenly wondered.

"Wouldn't you like to know," She smirked, "Now stay here, don't touch anything, and just wait until I get back," Judy ordered the fox. He gave a sarcastic salute and told her that he wouldn't be a problem. Judy turned around and bounded out the door, shutting it behind her and leaving the fox alone in unknown territory.

Judy thought to where her parents would be. It was just after lunch, so she figured her mom and a few of her brothers and sisters would be doing the dishes. Her dad could be anywhere on the farm, depending on what he was working on today. She wanted to be quick about this, not liking that she left Nick alone in her parents bedroom.

Judy hastily made her way towards the kitchen, hoping to catch her mom before she ultimately went somewhere else. Luckily, as she approached the kitchen, Judy could hear her mom talking to some of her siblings. She gave a small sigh of relief, glad she didn't have to go on a wild chase for her. Hopefully, the same thing could be said for her dad.

Judy walked into the kitchen and saw about a dozen bunnies working in the kitchen to help their mom clean it after lunch. She weaved her way through the busy kitchen, dodging brothers and sisters who were carrying stacks of dishes. She eventually made it to her mom, who was stood at the sink washing everything.

"Hey, mom," Judy called to her. Bonnie looked over her shoulder to look at Judy with a radiant smile.

"There you are, Judy! Where have you been, I haven't seen you all morning?" She asked as she continued to scrub away.

"Uh, around," Judy avoided, "Hey, I really need to talk to you about something." Judy said nervously.

"Can it wait until I'm done?" Bonnie asked.

"Not really," Judy replied. Bonnie finally fully turned around and faced her eldest daughter; she immediately noticed the serious, and nervous look that Judy was giving her. Her motherly instinct kicked in and told her that she needed to take care if this as soon as possible.

The two walked out of the kitchen and started walking down a hall. "So what do you need to talk about?" Bonnie asked with concern.

"I can't tell you yet, not until we find dad and go up to your room. This needs to be done in private." That certainly didn't make Bonnie feel any better. Judy was really starting to worry her. "You don't happen to know where dad is, do you?"

Bonnie shook her head, "No, I haven't seen him since lunch, and he didn't say where he was going." Judy sighed, of course it wouldn't be that easy. Her dad could be anywhere on the farm. With the crops, in one of the many barns, or his workshop. This was going to take awhile. At least that's what she thought.

A sudden scream of fright caught both Judy and Bonnies attention. Undoubtedly it was Stu's scream, and it sounded like it was coming from their room. It didn't take long for Judy to put two and two together.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers," Judy whispered to herself before taking off towards the scream; Bonnie followed close behind. Hopefully, she'd get their first, before any of her siblings. She could diffuse the situation quickly, but she needed to get there before anything became to serious.

Judy sprinted up to the third floor, and ran to her parents room as fast as she could. Fortunately, she got there before anyone else; only to come to a sight that really didn't surprise her.

Her dad was lying unconscious on the floor, with a shocked Nick stood above him not knowing what just happened, or what to do. "What happened?" Judy asked, though she already had a pretty good idea.

"He walked in, screamed, and fainted," Nick explained, still in a state of shock. Judy rolled her eyes, her dad always had been faint hearted and easily startled, not to mention overly emotional. Thinking quickly, Judy slammed the door shut, knowing some of her siblings would be curious and come check out what's happening.

"Well this has gone really good so far," Nick said, still staring down at the unconscious rabbit.

"Not funny," Judy growled, immediately getting an apology from the fox.

"So what are we going to do now?" Nick asked, already thinking this was a failure.

Judy thought for a second; everything turned into a disaster in a matter of seconds. Any moment her mom would get here and demand to be let in. The only thing she can think to do is explain everything and hope they don't freak out too much; at least not anymore than her dad already has. "Just hope we can explain everything, then drop the bomb of why you're here." Not the cleanest way to do this, but Nick wasn't complaining. He was here to make Judy happy, so if she still wanted him to meet her parents then he was going to do just that without any objection.

Judy and Nick both faced the door when there was a jiggle of the doorknob. "Judy?" Bonnie called out as she knocked on the door, "What's going on, whys the door locked?"

"Everything's fine, mom?" Judy quickly answered, "One sec I'll let you in." Judy walked over to the door and took a deep breath before unlocking it and letting in her mom. Behind Bonnie were a few other bunnies looking curiously into the room trying to see what was going on; unfortunately for them, though, Judy didn't let them have the satisfaction and slammed the door behind her mom and locked it back up.

Bonnie immediately noticed what was wrong when she saw a fox in her room and her husband passed out on the ground. Like Judy, she didn't have to think really hard to know what happened here. "Wait, you're that fox from the hospital. Nick, was it?" Bonnie questioned. Nick nodded with a nervous smile finding it kind of weird that s the first thing she asked, and not 'Why is my husband lying unconscious on the ground,' or 'What are you doing here.'

"Sorry about him," Bonnie pointed over to Stu, "He gets really skittish when things happen that he doesn't expect." She walked over to him and kneeled down next to his body trying to see if she could wake him up.

Judy and Nick shared an equally confused look, wondering why Bonnie was being so chill with all of this. Judy knows her mom to be kind of laid back, but this seemed a little odd. Having no reaction at all to Nick being here put a lot of questions in Judy's head. It also made her think that maybe this wouldn't be as much of a disaster as she first thought.

A soft groan caught the attention of the couple and they look over to see Bonnie helping up Stu. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Bonnie told him.

"Now why would I go and do that," he wondered aloud.

"Because you walked into our bedroom and saw Nick," Bonnie pointed over to the fox who gave a small wave when they looked over at him. "Guess he scared the living daylights out of you," she chuckled.

"I guess so," he said as he glared over at the fox intruding in his room. "And what exactly are you doing in here?"

"The same reason both me and mom are here," Judy spoke up, catching the attention of her father. "I needed to talk to you and mom about some things." Judy was suddenly very grateful that, for whatever reason, the walls in this room were sound proof, because she knew that there were a lot of rabbits outside the door trying to listen in on the conversation.

"Wait, is this the fox that we met at the hospital?" Stu suddenly questioned. As he got a nod from everyone in the room, he eased up a bit. "Alright, so what is it you needed to talk about," he asked, not knowing the shocking news he was about to receive.

"Well, you've both met Nick before, after he brought me to the hospital," she said, gaining nods from them. "Then you guys asked why I never told you about him and I kind of just avoided the question. The reason for that is…" Judy paused for a moment, looking over at Nick, who gave her a reassuring smile. Stu and Bonnie gazed curiously at the two, wondering what was going on. "Mom, dad, Nick is my boyfriend."

Judy braced herself for the worst. She got ready to be yelled at, or for the disapproving things they would say, or anything that would show that they don't approve this in any way. However, the only thing she got was surprised looks from both her parents. Her dad looked the most shocked by the news, but he didn't look angry. Her mom seemed to be lost in thought.

Judy and Nick looked at each other, wondering what was going on. They didn't know what to make of it; were they angry and just not showing it, or did they accept it and Judy has been stressing for no reason.

"Sooo?" Judy said, getting restless from all the silence.

"Well, I'm definitely shocked. I never expected you to be with a fox honestly," Stu admitted.

"But you're fine with it?" Judy asked.

Stu grinned at his daughter, understanding why she was acting like this. "Look, Jude, I know I haven't been the most accepting of foxes in the past, especially considering your history with Gideon, but this is your life so if you chose him, then I can't say anything about it." The relief Judy was feeling from hearing those words was unreal. However, she still has her mom. Judy looked over at her wondering what she had to say about this.

"So this is what's been having you act all strange lately," Bonnie knowingly smiled. Judy looked questionably over at her, what was she talking about? Bonnie noticed Judy's confusion and slightly shook her head. "Come on, sweetie, I know when one of my kids is acting up. You've been distant and keeping to yourself lately. I guess I have him to thank for that," She pointed over at Nick.

"So neither of you are upset about this," Judy asked sheepishly, wanting to clarify that they were okay with what she was doing.

"Of course," Bonnie told her. "If this makes you happy, then who are we to deny you of it?" At this point, Judy has tears in her eyes, overjoyed by the fact that her parents are more than accepting of her and Nick. She hopped over to them and hugged them tightly, thanking them over and over again. She had stressed herself out worrying so much about this all for nothing.

"I will say, though, if I hear you treat my daughter wrong in any way, then we will be having a talk," Stu told Nick sternly. The fox laughed nervously to himself, hoping that Stu would never hear about the time himself and Judy first met.

"Don't worry, sir, there's no way that I'd ever hurt Judy," Nick told him. The older rabbit gave an approving smile, he just somehow knew this fox was right for his daughter.

Skip forward a couple hours to find Judy and Nick cuddled up next to each other on a hill as they stared towards the horizon. Neither of them expected for that to go over so well, both of them feared for something far worse to happen. But now all of that was behind them and nothing was keeping them from continuing to be happy with one another.

"I love you," Nick said out of nowhere. Judy smiled from sudden words uttered from her fox. She cuddled closer into his side and gave a complacent sigh.

"I love you too."

"I'm so happy for you, Nick," Vickie smiled brightly as her son relayed to her the events of his day. He really had turned his life around and it was making her so proud of him. Finally, she wasn't feeling like a failure as his mother. Sure it might have taken some tough love, but seeing where it had taken her son she'd say it has all been worth it. Of course, though, there had been something troubling her concerning Nicks and Judy's relationship. She has been keeping it to herself, not wanting to ruin how happy Nick was feeling, but she knew he'd figure it out himself eventually; especially as time passes.

"Well, mom, I think it's about time I get to bed," Nick yawned out, wanting to get some sleep.

"Alright, Nick. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Sleep well, I love you."

"Love you too, mom." The two hung up, leaving Nick alone in his room completely in silence. He stared up at the ceiling blissfully as he thought just how great everything was. Besides the little run in with Gideon, everything has been great. He couldn't think of anything else that could ruin what he had going here. Nothing at all.

As Nick was wallowing in how great everything in his life has been going, there was a car parked just outside the property, next to the road. Staring over towards the house was none other than Eric. He had finally found out just where his son is. After years, he was finally this close to confronting Nick. However, he would have to wait just a little longer. He couldn't just go storming into the house, the cops would be called for sure, and he'd be hauled off. He's already waited this long, a little longer wasn't going to kill him.


	20. Father, Son Reunion

Nick looked around in delight at the many different things spread throughout the giant field. Booths of all sorts were set up as far as the fox could see. Everywhere he walked he either saw something amazing, or was hit with a delicious smell of homemade baked goods. He felt like a kid with how excited he was to be at a fair. There weren't really any fairs back at the city, and if there were any they weren't anything like this. He looked around to see hundreds of animals going from booth to booth, talking with family and friends, and all around having a joyful time. It seemed like a perfect place for the fox to be.

"Wait, so you're telling me that you've never been to a fair before?" Judy asked in amazement. Nick nodded and explained to her that they don't do these kinds of things back in the city, at least not to this extent. "The county fair is by far one of the biggest events in Bunnyburow. Animals from all over the burrows come to participate. It's really fun; my family sells all sorts of desserts like cakes and pies," Judy beamed with pride. She takes great satisfaction in the success of her family.

"It all sounds so great," Nick replied cheerfully, "I'm going to eat so much pie," the fox licked his lips eagerly. Judy giggled at Nick acting like a little kid, it was cute seeing him behave this way. He was so excited.

"What should we do first?" Nick asked looking from booth to booth with excitement.

Judy smiled up at her fox, "I guess since this is your first time, we'll go wherever you want. Lead the way Mr. Wilde," she gestured to him. Nick smiled with enthusiasm, immediately walking towards the smell of pie.

For the next few hours, the couple spent their time wandering around the fair doing a whole assortment of different things. Like Nick said, he went around and bought every different slice of pie he could; in his opinion the blueberry was by far the best. Aside from stuffing his maw with sweets, he went around and played games, trying to win something for Judy even though she assured him she was fine without, but he was bound and determined.

"Come on, Nick, you could have bought me something with the amount of money you've spent on this," Judy pointed out as the fox was lining up his throw for the seventh time.

"I got it this time, just you watch," Nick said with growing frustration. Trying to knock down all these bottles was a lot harder than he first thought.

"You of all people should know these things are scams, they're all rigged," she tried to get him to see reason.

"Yes I know. But like any scam, if you're smart enough," he paused for a moment and threw the baseball as hard as he could, and in a matter of seconds all the bottles were lying on the ground. Nick turned and gave the bunny a smug smile, "You'll end up the one on top." Judy gave the fox an annoyed glare as he accepted his prize; this wasn't going to help his already giant ego. She was also a bit frustrated because she'd been trying these games out for years and could never seem to win, then Nick comes along and does it like it's the easiest thing in the world. If she didn't love him, she'd hate him.

Nick walked over to Judy and presented her the giant stuffed carrot he won. "This seems a bit speciest," she joked.

"Oh, shut up and take my present," he laughed while he shoved the giant carrot into her arms.

At this point the two had been just about everywhere there was to go, all except for one place. There was a large ferris wheel set up in the middle of it all, but they were saving that for later tonight. They wanted to have a special, romantic moment during the night while all the lights are shining brightly. So now they didn't know what to do as they waited. It was still a couple of hours until the sun went down, so they'd have to make due until then. That's when Nick proposed they go sit down and relax for awhile. Judy liked his idea, admitting that she was starting to get a little fatigued from walking around all day. Having agreed what to do, the two walked over to a secluded area away from everyone where there were about a dozen picnic tables around which seemed like the perfect place to sit down and chill out for awhile. Judy even suggested calling Skye and Jack to see if they were anywhere nearby and ask them if they wanted to hang out.

The two picked a table that was in some shade, walked over to it and were about to sit down; however, the sound of someone calling her name caused Judy to look around for the source. It didn't take long for Judy to spot another bunny walking up towards them. It was one of her sisters and she looked like she was in a hurry, the out of breath panting being an indicator of her running before she found them.

"What's going on, Delilah?" Judy asked her.

"Mom and dad need you back at the booth, we're short on help right now," Delilah explained. Judy sighed in annoyance.

"Over two hundred children and they're short pawed, just my luck," she groaned. "I'll be there in a minute," Judy told her sister, sending her back off to their parents. Judy turned around and gave Nick an apologetic look. "Seems I'm needed elsewhere."

Nick shrugged, not bothered that much by it. "You go help your family, I'll be fine just chilling here for awhile," Nick told her.

"Thanks Nick, you're the best," she chirped happily, bounding over to him and giving him a goodbye kiss. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she told him before taking off. Nick followed her with his eyes until she disappeared into the crowed of animals. He exhaled softly, a feeling of complacency coming over him. Could he ask to have a better girlfriend? He doesn't think so. Everything about her was just so perfect, and he didn't see anything he'd want to change about her.

He plopped down on one of the benches, leaned back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Moments later he opened his eyes, already starting to feel bored. _That didn't take long_ , he thought to himself. He started looking around the place, scanning over the area to see if he could find anything to entertain himself while Judy was gone. His eyes happened to land on a lonely looking older fox sitting only a few tables away from him. It was interesting seeing another fox, considering there aren't very many out in the burrows. He's been here a couple months and has never seen another family of foxes save Skye and Gideon. Any normal person probably just would have left him alone, but Nick likes talking to others, and it would also help with his boredom problem. Also, for some inexplicable reason, he was just drawn over to him. Nick walked over and sat at the table where the other fox was.

"How's it going," Nick asked in a friendly manner. The other fox glanced up and immediately looked taken back that Nick was sat there.

"umm, uh, fine… I guess," he stuttered. He wasn't expecting to see him sitting there. Nick looked curiously at the older fox in front of him, thinking he was acting a little odd. Of course he supposes that he'd be slightly shocked if someone just randomly sat down next to him and started talking.

"Sorry if I'm being a little forward, I just saw that you were a fox," Nick gestured to him, "and there's not many of our kind around here," he explained. The other fox slowly nodded his head, sort of understanding where he was coming from. _Maybe this is the world helping me out_ , he thought to himself.

"I'm guessing you're related to either Skye's or Gideon's family?" Nick inferred about the fox. He didn't see any other reason a fox would be down here.

"No, I have no idea who those animals are," He told Nick. "I'm just down visiting from the city." Nick tilted his head slightly, wondering why someone would just come down here. _Maybe he just likes fairs?_

"Any reason you're down here?" Nick asked him. The older fox slightly bobbed his head from side to side.

"Yah, I came down to visit my son. I haven't seen him in a few years," he said with a soft smile.

"Really? Well good for you. I actually got to meet some family I hadn't seen since I was like one." The fox finally lifted his head up all the way and looked Nick in the eyes, fully seeing everything about the younger fox. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Finally after so long he was able to see him, his son, up close and in person; and Nick has no idea who he really is. Of course Eric looks a lot different than when they last saw each other, when he was screaming that he'd kill him and his mother if he ever saw them again. Now here they are. He was itching to just reveal who he actually was, and do what he's been waiting to do for years.

"So, you seen your son yet?" Nick asked. Eric couldn't help but chuckle at the question.

"Yes, very recently in fact."

"And how'd that go?"

"Well, that depends on how this conversation goes." There it was, dropping the bomb. The reaction Eric got wasn't unexpected.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Nick asked, becoming increasingly confused. A cool chill ran through his body at the thought of what this fox meant. It couldn't be, could it. He looked closer at the fox, spotting all the features that he had come to fear. He looked slightly different from when he was a kit, but there was no mistaking who this was.

"Eric." Nick stated in realization. And that seemed to be it, he froze right there petrified like a statue. His mind went into a daze as fear consumed his entire body. There he is, the man that made his childhood a nightmare; the one who put him and his mother through hell; the one who promised to one day come back and kill him, and Nick was too scared to do anything.

Eric lightly closed his eyes and let out a depressed sigh. He hated seeing his son act like this, and knowing he was the one causing Nick to react this way made it all the worse. But it was nothing he didn't expect. The things he did to him, what he put him through, is something no child should ever have to experience. And that's exactly why he's here.

Eric clasped his paws together and leaned forward on the table, causing Nick to slightly flinch. Eric looked softly at his son, "Nick," he spoke in a serious tone.

It was now that Nicks heart rate doubled. _Here it comes_ , he thought in a panic, _He's going to kill me and I can't do anything about it._ He wanted to cry, to scream, to do anything, but fear has paralyzed him and all he could do was look in terror at the fox across from him. His breathing increased and he closed his eyes, waiting for it to happen. He waited, and waited, and waited, but nothing came. Instead, he just heard… crying?

Nick opened one of his eyes and peaked over towards his father and saw something he never thought he'd witness ever. His dad, the monster that terrorized him in his childhood, and the one who still haunts his dreams, that fox was sat in front of him crying. Nick was so shocked, he didn't know how to react. Then, Eric said something that turned Nicks entire world upside down.

"Nick, I'm so sorry," he cried out. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, I'm sorry for hurting you and making you live in fear. I'm your father and I'm supposed to love you, and protect you, support you, and be there for you when things are hard. Instead I was the exact opposite."

Nick sat there staring at his dad, mouth agape, and eyes wide opened as his father confessed his sins and apologized for what he did. At first, Nick didn't know what to do. _How am I supposed to handle this_ , he asked himself. However, as he sat there hearing his father's apology, he couldn't help but swell up in anger. He knitted his brows and stared furiously at the weeping fox. Eric seemed to take notice and stopped at seeing how mad Nick was getting.

"How dare you," Nick gritted his teeth, this time getting Eric to flinch from the venom embedded in the words. "How dare you come here and think you can just start apologizing, thinking everything would be okay. What did you expect to happen, that I would just forgive you after everything you did to me," he slammed his fist down on the table getting Eric to jump. Nick was surprised by his sudden bravery; he had lived in fear of his father for so long, and now here he was yelling at him. The weirdest thing was him seeing Eric just sitting there taking it. The father he knew would be beating the shit out of him by now. Nick recalls the one time he stood up to Eric only to be sent flying into a wall.

Eric waited patiently for Nick to finish his rant; he knew that he deserved everything that was coming at him. The fox won't deny that what he did was down right despicable, and something no mammal should ever do. He was evil, and a monster.

Eric figured his son was done when he was glaring at him while breathing heavily. Eric took a deep breath to compose himself as he wiped away the tears.

"You misunderstand why I'm here," Eric told him, getting Nick to look at him suspiciously. "I didn't come here expecting you to forgive me," he admitted. Again, this confused the young fox. "I've needed to apologize to you and your mom for a long time. It's been driving me crazy for years. You see, my time in prison… it changed me. I was put into a rehabilitation program for my alcoholism and my anger issues. It was a slow process but I eventually found myself; the old me I mean. Before the scams, before the drinking…" he paused for a moment, "Before the beatings."

Nick was starting to wonder where he was going with this. A part of him thought that this was all an act, and at any moment Eric would stop this whole charades and pull a gun on him or something. However, there was another part of him that believed what he was saying. But could he really believe that someone like Eric would change. That got Nick to think back to the whole reason he was in Bunnyburrow. His mom had sent him here in hopes that he'd change, and he has. Despite saying he would never change- never stop scamming others, and always live the life of a con- with the help of a few others he was able to turn his life around for the better, and he liked it more this way. So if he could change, then why not Eric?

Against his better judgement, with all his instincts yelling at him to turn and run, Nick decided to trust Eric. He never thought in his life that he'd ever do this, he honestly wished he could have gone the rest of his life without ever seeing him again, but here he was giving the fox a chance.

"So, what did you plan to do after this? Did you expect to just come back into mom and I's life?" Nick asked, giving him a chance to explain himself.

Eric shook his head, "No. Even if for whatever reason you and your mom did let me back into your lives, I couldn't put you two through that; not after everything I've done. I just wanted to get this off my chest before I move on with my life," Eric explained.

"Does that mean you've already seen mom?" Nick questioned. Eric avoided eye contact and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"No I haven't, and I probably won't. The things that happened between me and her were more serious and I don't think I could ever face her in person. However, I did leave her something that she should see when she gets home from work."

Pan over to the city of Zootopia to find Vickie walking back home from a long day of work. It was always tiring what she does, but it was well worth it to be able to keep her house and give Nick a comfortable life. She still isn't the most wealthy, but she gets by- even without the help from Nicks weekly donations.

She walked up the steps to her home and unlocked the door, glad to be able to be home so she could sit down and relax for the rest of the night. But Eric had other plans for her. Vickie was only one step in the door before she noticed an envelope on the floor. She tilted her head and looked down in confusion. _Who on Earth would just leave me a letter?_ She thought to herself. The vixen picked up the envelope and studied the outside of it to see if she could find out who this was from, but it was all blank. She was about to open it, but stopped herself. Something felt off about all of this, and it gave her an uneasy feeling. Vickie shook her head and rolled her eyes, _It's just paper,_ she reminded herself, It can't be that bad. She wouldn't be thinking that in a few moments. She ripped open the envelope and took out a letter that was inside. She unfolded the paper and began to read:

 _To my dear Vickie,_

 _It's been quite a long time since we last spoke, and the last time you saw me I wasn't really myself. I wasn't the same fox that you married so long ago, that I know. I changed in the worst of ways and you and Nick were the ones who were forced to pay for it. I was a monster and did things to you that a husband should never do to their wife; I broke every one of my promises that I made to you when we first married. I know I'll never be able to take back the unspeakable things I committed against you, but I have to at least say I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you this in person, but I figured that wouldn't be a good idea so this will have to do. I know a simple 'I'm sorry' isn't going to magically fix everything, nothing ever will, but I still want to make it up to you in some way. You'll be receiving another letter in the near future with a special gift that I've been saving since I first got locked up. I asked a friend of mine to save up some money in a bank account for me when I got out so I could get back on my feet; however, I've decided to give it all to you and Nick as a way to pay my debts. And don't worry, the money is all clean. I really do love you, Vickie, with all my heart. I hope you and Nick have a wonderful future._

 _Love, Eric._

Vickie lowered the letter, tears streaming down her face, leaving her staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

 _Damn him,_ she gripped the piece of paper tightly. "Damn him," she scream aloud, and that's what got her. She broke down and fell to her knees, clutching tightly onto Eric's letter. She's forced herself for forever to hate him, but she could only act for so long. She still loved the fox. The happy memories she shares with him will stay with the vixen for the rest of her life. If she could go back and stop everything that made Eric into that monster, then she would do it in a heartbeat; even with everything he ever did to her and Nick, she'll never be able to fully hate him. But she knows she could never take him back, no matter how much she loves him, it just wouldn't be the same as when they were first together.

She forced herself to stop crying and pulled herself together. Through her sniveling , Vickie smiled softly. "I wish you well, Eric," she whispered, "Wherever you are."

"So yah, I left her a little note," Eric said. Silence fell over them for awhile. Nick couldn't stop staring at his dad, still not believing this is the same fox he knew when he was a kid. He's just so different; his looks, the way he talks, and the way he acts make him seen like a whole different animal.

Eric saw that it was about time for him to leave. He already thinks he's been there too long as is, the fox didn't plan on Nick being so open with him being there. He figured Nick would have chased him away by now; however, to his surprise, his son let him explain himself.

After the silence was too much, Eric decided that was enough. "Well, I better be on my way," he told Nick.

Nick didn't question him, and nodded his head. "Where will you go?" Nick asked.

"Wherever I can. Life's not going to be easy for me with my past, but I'll make do," He said, standing up from the table. "I wish you the best of luck in your future. A little word of advice: never, ever be like me."

"Will I ever see you again?" Nick doesn't know what compelled him to ask that, he guesses he's just a bit curious about it.

Eric gave a shrug, "Maybe someday. Hopefully then things won't be so awkward," he laughed softly. "Goodbye Nick." Eric turned around and began walking away, leaving Nick to watch his father walk away. He never thought it would ever happen, but Nick didn't hate his father as much as he used to.

"Who was that?" Nick didn't take his eyes of his dad, knowing it was only Judy walking over to his side.

"My dad," Nick said softly. He didn't see her, but he could imagine the reaction she was having.

"Uh… your dad? As in 'I will kill you next time I see you' dad?" Judy asked in a panic, looking frantically between Nick and the older fox who was walking away. Nick only nodded his head. "Should I call the cops?" the bunny questioned.

"No," Nick shook his head, "Everything's fine." The young fox closed his breath and took a deep breath to compose himself and collect all of his thoughts. He was acting like he was fine, but on the inside he was an emotional wreck who doesn't know what to think. He needed something to take his mind off this for the moment, and he knew the perfect thing.

He looked down into the worried eyes of his beautiful girlfriend. She was the only one who would make him feel better right now, and it was the perfect time to go do what they had been planning all afternoon. Nick took the bunny by her paw and let her know everything was fine, and he'd explain it to her later. The sun was setting on this… interesting day, and all Nick wanted to do was go on the Ferris wheel with his girlfriend.

Judy got the message and let her fox lead her towards the giant wheel in the center of the large field. It took them about a half an hour to finally get on the ride, but the wait was worth it. Nick had given a little extra cash to the operator of the ride to get him and Judy some extra time on the top. That's where the two where right now, looking at the beautiful sunset over the horizon; the setting sun shooting out beautiful colors of orange and yellow. It was a nice, peaceful, and welcome change to what just happened with him and his father. It was only him and his girlfriend leaning up against each other looking over the whole burrow. He wishes he could feel like this forever, and not have to deal with all the drama that was his life. At least he has Judy with him to get him through these tough times, and he hopes he'll be able to be with this bunny for a very, very long time.

* * *

 **Well, there's that. Nick and his father finally coming face to face. I hope you enjoyed the little twist I put on it with Eric looking for forgiveness instead of revenge.**

 **So this story is almost at it's end. I'm guessing two or three more chapters left unless I come up with some new crazy idea for the story. But expect it to be over soon.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has favorited, follpwed, and reviewed; you guys are really awesome. Please let me know what y'all think about the story, I love reading your comments, It's honestly like a drug to me.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	21. End

Nick had finally come to realize a problem with Judy's and his relationship; it is such a small little problem, yet the hardest thing to try and fix. It didn't have to do anything with their species, nor did they have a problem with each other. They love each other more then two teenagers in high school should. No, the biggest problem for the two, the largest obstacle they have to face is the fact that Nick is going to have to go back home to Zootopia eventually.

Sure they could try to make a long distance relationship work, but those hardly ever last. Of course he wouldn't be against trying it, but he doesn't like the idea of having to be so far away from her for so long. You might think the fox sounds overdramatic and clingy, and Nick would undoubtedly agree with you. He's been through so much in his life, more than most animals his age, and Judy has been one of the few good things to come into his life. He doesn't want to lose the best thing to happen to him so soon. It's been barely even a month since they got together and thinking that he'd be leaving soon killed him on the inside. It made every moment he had with her that much more precious.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to share any of those moments with her at the moment. Judy has some work she had to get done around her farm: father's orders. Nick decided to take this time and spend it around his extended family. Everyone was huddled in the family room, making small talk as they watched TV and Tim read a newspaper. It was nothing compared to being with Judy, but it was still nice. They may have had a rough start with each other, but in the end everything turned out just fine. Nick saw Debra as a second mother; Tim was a great fox once you got around his rough exterior; and Robin and Christy had become like younger siblings to him. It was like having the family life he was never able to have when he was younger. Of course, none of them could ever replace his mother.

The two of them have been through a lot, which they had his father to thank for. They thought they had gotten over him, but he turned their world's upside down when he randomly showed up again. Nick assumed the next time he saw his father, he'd keep good to his promise and kill him; however, he was surprised that to find that he came and found him to apologize. He had been angry at first, but eventually cooled down and even ended up giving the old man a second chance. That night, Nick and his mother had a long conversation about what happened. Vickie had plenty of questions to ask about her former mate: how he looked, acted, sounded… smelled. Her son answered everything to the best of his ability, except for when it started getting weird which is where he drew the line. Other than that, she wanted to know what Eric said to him. Nick relayed everything his dad told him, about his rehabilitation and his journey for forgiveness. Her side went quiet for awhile after that, and Nick could have sworn he heard muffled sobs but decided not to bring it up which was probably for the best.

After Nick explained to his mother about what happened between him and Eric, Nick was curious what the letter she got said. Vickie seemed a bit reluctant at revealing the contents of the letter, feeling it was more of a personal thing for her eyes only, so to compromise she told him only a small bit of detail. All she told him was that Eric wanted to explain his current situation, and said how sorry he was for the past. She left out the parts about her having a minor break down, as well as leaving out the special gift that Eric left for them.

He had been missing her more and more everyday, which was lucky considering that summer is almost over and she'd be back here to pick him up and take him home to Zootopia. At the beginning of the summer, Nick would have been ecstatic at the fact to be going home; he would have done anything to be back with his old friends scamming away at gullible tourists. Now he is torn about going back. Bunnyburrow has grown on him more than he ever could have predicted. The scenery, the air, the animals, it has all grown on him to the point where he was actually reluctant to leave. Obviously, these aren't the main reasons, but they all made up a majority of them.

The fox felt like it would be awkward going back to the city, back to all his friends, but he wasn't going to be the same as when he left. Could he go back to his sane friends? How was Finnick going to react to him turning over a new leaf? Actually, he knows exactly how he would react. The fennec would laugh in his face and call him words he'd rather not think about.

Nick let out a soft sigh, being fed up with all this conflict in his mind. This didn't go unnoticed, as much as he wished it had. Deb looked over towards him and asked what was wrong. He didn't really feel like answering, still not liking to share his feelings with anyone.

"Just thinking to myself," Nick told her, not wanting to go into to much depth about it. Deb stared at her nephew for a moment, giving him a stern look, but she didn't go any further with it. If there is one thing she has learned about Nicks, it's that when he doesn't want to talk, he won't. Though, if you get him at the right time, there are ways to persuade him to talk.

"Well, that's just a shame," Tim mumbled out, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"What's that, honey?" Deb questioned. Nick and the other two listened in.

"Oh, just some kids were found dead in an alley over in the city. Says they were involved with gang activity and had a trade or something go wrong," he shook his head with disgust, not believing that animals so young were dying for such avoidable reasons.

Nick inexplicably felt a sudden wave of anxiety come over him, and he felt compelled to get more details about this. He asked Tim if he could see the paper, having a slight sense of fear of what he was about to read. Tim gave a suspicious glance, but did end up handing over the paper. Nick glanced through the article, searching for what he was fearing, hoping and praying that he wasn't actually going to find it. He traced the words with his finger until it ultimately landed on what he was dreading. His shoulders slumped and ear flattened, tears already forming in his eyes. He told him, he told the damned fool that it was a terrible idea getting mixed up with that crap. But he never listens, Finnick does whatever he can to earn any cash he can get his paws on. And that's what has lead to his doom.

Finnick was one of the teens that was found dead in that alleyway. His best friend, one of his only friends for so many years of his young life, was now dead. He didn't want to believe it, but there it was written in black and white. Nick wanted to believe that there was some sort of mistake, some way that the people got it wrong and Finnick wasn't actually one of the mammals that died, but deep down he knew that his long time friend was dead, he could just feel an emptiness in him.

Nick didn't stay around to answer the questions that were being asked, he dropped the paper and simply walked out of the room and outside. He needed to be alone, needed to think through some things. There is no better place for him to do this other than under his tree. The fox spent so much of his time lounging under it, he think he has the right to claim it as his. It was a moderately hot day, though the cool breeze blowing through made it more tolerable.

Nick sat down under the large tree and that's when he let the tears fall freely. It's funny to think how he wouldn't be caught dead crying about anything, but now he just didn't care. He had lost one of the most important parts of his life, and for what? Because Finnick wanted to make a bit more cash. A sudden flash of realization came to the young fox's mind as he looked down the road that lead back to Zootopia. A resentment for the city started building up in the fox as he thought of all the horrible things that had come from that place. All the bad memories, every speciest act against him and his mom, the corruption that comes from the place that got both him and his father, and now it's taken the life of his friend. The once love he had for him home was now being replaced by bitterness. Nick was starting dread going home even more than he was before the news of Finnick. He would have to say that he was starting to prefer being in Bunnyburrow. The air is cleaner, the animals are nicer, and he's made so many good friends here; also he had family that he has really started to love being with and around. How could he leave this all behind and go back to a place with so many terrible memories. He didn't want to go back, that was becoming more and more clear. But what was he going to do about it? His mom could hardly afford to pay rent for their current home, let alone get a new place and move everything down here. What he'd give to be able to move down here, away from all the chaos of Zootopia.

Nick sighed and knew it was just his emotions getting to him. There was no way that he'd be able to convince his mom to come down here. Even though it doesn't hold the greatest memories for her, that's where her life is. She was born and raised in the city, and has never left there for more than a couple of weeks. Vickie wouldn't just leave her whole life behind because Nick didn't feel comfortable living there anymore.

"Nick?" The fox, who had been staring a hole into the ground, looked up and over at his beautiful bunny as she walked over towards him. A look of worry was spread over her face as she approached Nick. "Is everything alright?" She wondered. Nick gave her a broken smile as he wiped away at his tears.

"I'm better now," he told her. Judy came and sat down next to him, her presence already brightening up his day.

"What happened?" Judy asked.

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep sigh, the wound of finding out his friend was dead still being fresh. One of the many things that made the fox grateful to be with Judy is that he can trust her to be sensitive with him when he tells her the worst parts of his life. He remembers when he told her about his dad and how he treated him as a kit. It was hard when he told McCabe, but telling Judy was even worse. The subject had come up when he told her he wasn't getting much sleep lately. One thing lead to another and the fox ended up telling her that He kept having nightmares about his dad. Obviously, Judy became curious about it, and asked Nick if he was comfortable with telling her. He was reluctant and doesn't know why he was so nervous about telling her, but it didn't matter in the end anyway. Nick ended up telling her and in her magnificent Judy way, she made the situation fine with a simple hug, kiss, and a few words of encouragement.

"Hello, earth to Nick," Judy said waving a paw in front of Nicks face. Nick blinked a couple times and shook his head to recompose himself. He had zoned out for a moment just thinking about how great she is to him.

"Yah, sorry about that," Nick gave a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. Then he remembered what they were about to talk about and a frown returned to his face. "To answer you question…" Nick paused, starting to choke on his words. It took him a moment, but he was able to pull himself together to tell Judy what was happening. "A really good friend of mine passed away," Nick put it lightly.

Judy let out a gasp and raised a paw to cover her mouth. "Oh, Nick, I'm so sorry." She rushed over towards the grieving fox and pulled him into a hug. Nick immediately accepted and held on tight to the bunny. He didn't know he needed this until it was happening. This is the kind comfort that he's needed his whole life; the warm hug she is giving him helped more than one might realize. Of course it didn't patch up everything, he probably won't get over Finnick's death for a long time, but it helps a small bit, and right now he will take anything he can get.

"Judy," Nick whimpered softly up to the bunny holding onto him, "I don't want to lose you." Nick squeezed her a little tighter as if Judy was going to be pulled away from him. He's lost so much in his life already, he doesn't want to lose her as well.

Judy didn't know how to respond to that. What do you say to something like that to a fox who just lost a friend? "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," she whispered soothingly. It's the only thing she could think of to say to calm him down.

"No, Judy," he was shaking at this point. Nick looked up and locked eyes with Judy, tears still streaming down his cheeks. "I don't want to leave you, I want to stay here. I can't go back." The amount of hurt and fear present on his face was unbearable for the bunny to look at. She doesn't think that she's ever witnessed Nick like this in her time of knowing him; it is immensely heartbreaking. Still, she didn't know what to say to comfort him. Judy wants to try and make Nick happy and tell him everything's going to be alright, but what would be the point. Nicks smart enough to know that it won't be alright if he's taken back to Zootopia, and there's really nothing to be done about it; not unless they just move here which seems unlikely to happen. So instead of saying anything, Judy continued to embrace Nick, staying there as long as she needed.

As Nick was there being held by his lover, his mind thought of only one thing: he couldn't leave here. Somehow He needed to find a way to stay, no matter what. Even if he had to beg his mom, even if he had to spend his life savings, he was going to find a way to stay here.

"Judy," Nick softly pushed Judy off of him, "How would you like to meet my mom?"

Today is the day. Nick paced around the front porch with a mixture of emotions. On one paw he was excited to be able to see his mom again. This whole summer, all they've been able to do is talk over the phone. It was going to be nice seeing her again after these past few months. He had a couple things he has wanted to do in person ever since his change of heart. Though, on the other paw, he was anxious and fearful. He's given this a lot of thought over the past couple days, thinking of what he was going to say to his mom about his desire to stay in Bunnyburrow.

His mom was going to be here any minute to pick him up. Fortuently, though, she was going to be spending a whole day here before heading back to their real home. In that time, Nick needed to find an opening to ask the question. He had been wondering about how she would react. He doesn't think she'll get angry, that's just not her, but he doesn't think she'll share the same opinions as him. But he doesn't know exactly how she will react until he actually asks her.

Judy was sat down, along with the rest of his family. Everyone but Judy just assumed that Nick was pacing in anticipation for his mother to arrive, which is half true, but Judy knows the real reason.

The sound of tires rolling over gravel caught the attention of everyone, and Nick looked over to see the same truck his mom had borrowed to bring him here. He never thought he'd be so happy to see that old rust-bucket again. He stared at the truck until it pulled into the driveway, and then Nick walked over to the drivers side. Vicki exited the vehicle right as Nick rounded the front of it. The two stopped for a moment and looked at one another with giant smiles. Both thought the same thing: it felt wonderful seeing each other again.

Nick couldn't wait any longer and lunged towards his mom, bringing her into a big hug. Vickie happily accepted it and squeezed him tightly. The last time they saw each other, she'd be lucky to be able to get this out of him, and now he was the one giving out the hugs. It is every parents dream to have a teenager that still shows affection towards them. The mom and son had list that connection for awhile, but now everything seemed to be fine.

"It's so good to see you," Nick said, pulling away from the hug.

"I've missed you a lot. I never knew how much I'd miss you causing me trouble," the vixen giggled.

"I don't think you'll be having much trouble from me anymore," Nick grinned.

"You're a teenage fox living in the city, I'm sure you'll find some way to cause mischief."

"You're probably right," the young fox laughed. _But hopefully I won't have to cause trouble in the city ever again_. Nick thought to himself.

The two made their way and walked over towards everyone else who were waiting for them on the front porch. Vickie went straight for Deb and the two brought each other into a hug, only staying there for a few seconds before pulling away. They traded pleasantries, saying how much they missed each other, nothing that Nick was paying attention too. His focus was more on the bunny standing nervously behind everyone else. It put a smile on his face seeing the usually confidence filled rabbit acting skittish. It wasn't very often that this happened, but it was always entertaining.

As Vickie, Deb, and Tim talked, Judy glanced over to Nick and saw him giving her a smug smile. The bunny glared at the fox, annoyed by his persistent smugness. He knew she was nervous, and he loved to pester her about it. However, it didn't last long as he replaced his smug smile with a genuine one, as if to tell her everything was going to be just fine. Judy closed her eyes and silently took a deep breath: everything was going to be fine.

"And you must be Judy." The bunny looked away from her fox and up at Vickie who was looking down at her with a joyful smile.

"Yes, ma'am, that's me," Judy replied, still slightly tense, which didn't go unnoticed by the vixen. She didn't bring it up, but she still found it funny.

"No need to be so formal, you can just call me Vickie." Judy seemed to ease up, seeing how nice Nick's mother is. _Again,_ she thought to herself, _there was no reason to be nervous_. "And it's a pleasure to finally be meeting you," The vixen extended her paw out to Judy, who took it and graciously shook it. "Nick likes to talk a lot about you. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT," she emphasized, getting every to chuckle as they looked over towards Nick.

The young lover gave a casual shrug and brushed off the laughter, "What can I say, there's a lot of great thing to say about her." There was a shared laughter from the group, getting Judy to heat up just a bit.

After a few more minutes of pointless conversation, they decided to go inside the house and continue in there. All the while, Nick kept thinking to himself how, and when, he was going to talk to his mother about his issue. He had hinted about it on their last few calls to one another, telling her that he needed to talk to her face to face about some stuff, he just doesn't know when the appropriate time to bring it up would be.

It was the early afternoon when Vickie arrived at the house, and the hours quickly flew by as stories were told. Vickie was curious about Judy and asked her some questions, which the bunny more than willingly answered. There were the parts where Nick told everyone about events that happened over the summer that hadn't come up in conversation yet, s few of them getting the room to erupt in laughter. Then there were the parts where just the adults talked about things going on in their lives. During those parts, Judy and Nick would have a hushed conversation about when he'd talk to his mom. Judy is all for Nick moving here so they can be together, but that's not the main reason she wants him down here. She just wants Nick to be happy. The bunny has witnessed first paw what happens when Nick is not happy, and she would hare to see him go down that path again. Nick told her that he figured he would ask his mom if they could talk in private some time after dinner and hopefully work something out.

Eventually, both Vickie and Deb went back into the kitchen to go and made some dinner for the rest of them. That left the rest alone in the front room.

"So," Tim suddenly said, gaining everyone's attention, though it was meant for Judy and Nick. "I've been wonder something. Are you two going to try and make a long distance relationship work, or are you going your own ways when Nick leaves?"

The young couple shared a look for a moment, wondering how they were going to answer this. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to tell Tim anything before he talked with his own mom. "We're going to try and make it work," is what Nick decided to say. Luckily, Tim seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Well good for you two. You make a good couple," he smiled.

Jump forward about an hour and everyone was called to the table for dinner. Everyone sat down as was met with the delicious smell of a veritable soup. They all ate it with gusto, savoring the flavor. Everyone, except for Nick. He didn't take his eyes off his bowl as he let his spoon swim around in the soup. He was too deep in thought to be bothered to do anything. It was only when his mom called his name that he was broke free from his thoughts.

"Are you alright, Nick? You've been acting kind of strange today," Vickie pointed out. Nick was about to say that everything was fine, but bit his tongue. I guess now is as good a time as ever, He figured.

"Actually, I need to talk to you. Alone." He told her. Vickie gave a concerned look, until she remembered Nick had told her that he wanted to talk with her when she got here.

"Alright, where do you want to go?" Vickie asked. Nick stood up and told her to follow him. Everyone, save Judy, looked confused as the mom and son walked through the backdoor going outside.

"What was that all about?" Robin asked. All the other foxes shrugged. Judy, however, looked at Nick with a soft knowing smile, silently wishing him luck.

Nick walked slowly towards the barn with his mother in close pursuit. He hasn't actually been in the structure for a while, not since McCabe showed him something to do with his car. But the barn seemed to be the most suitable place to talk about this. It was away from everyone and there wasn't any chance anyone would hear them. The foxes went into the barn and found a couple seats over in the corner and took a seat. Nick finally look his mom in the face and saw how concerned she was looking.

"Alright, Nick, what's going on?" She asked softly. She could only hope it was something she could actually fix.

Nick took a deep breath and let it all out. There was really no need in beating around the bush about this, her only answers would be yes or no. He didn't see anyway that she would get angry about this. "I don't want to live in Zootopia anymore," he put forward bluntly.

To say Vickie was shocked would be an understatement. She looked at her kit with wide eyes, wondering if she had heard him right. "Excuse me?" She questioned, wanting to clarify what she heard.

"I said I don't want to live in the city anymore. I want to move here," Nick replied. The vixen slowly nodded her head and she processed what Nick just said. She never thought she would ever hear those words uttered from her son. His whole life is set around being a city fox, but now he want to move to Bunnyburrow? It came as a definite shocker. She thought for a second to see if she could figure out why, and only one thing came to mind: Judy.

"Does this have anything to be with that beautiful bunny sitting inside," she smirked.

"If be lying if I said that wasn't apart of the reason," he nodded. "But that's not the only reason." Vickie again became worried about her son when he looked down and a few tears made their way into his eyes. "Finnick's dead," he told her, "I don't want to end up like him. I don't want the city to corrupt me again. I don't want to lose the feeling I have when I'm here," he cried out. Vickie was taken back by Nicks sudden burst of emotion. She hadn't witnessed him like this since the incident with the scouts. It gave her a bit of a sinking feeling. However, only just a little bit.

"Nick," she placed her paw on his shoulder, getting him to look up with teary eyes. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that." Nick cocked his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've been talking with Deb for a couple of weeks about any cheap houses or apartments around the area, and also if there were any job opening she knows of. It just so happens that there's a small house with about an acre of land not too far from here," she smiled. It had been a thought that has crossed her mind on multiple occasions; mostly because she knows this is a much better environment for her son.

"And a job?" Nick asked as excitement stirred up in him.

"Seems that Tim has an opening spot for a receptionist that pays quite a bit more than my current Job!"

"But how would we pay for the house? As far as I'm aware, we aren't the wealthiest of animals," he pointed out.

Vickie smile, "You don't need to worry about that. I have ways. Though, I never expected that this might be happening. I figured you'd never want to move from the city."

"Funny, I thought that you would want to leave Zootopia either," Nick chuckled.

"Well, if you really want to move here, and mean really want to, I do have a way to make that happen. I do suggest you think it over a lot. It's a big change moving from there to here," she tried to explain.

"Trust me mom, I've had a very long time to think about this. I want it."

"Alright then, looks like I have some calls to make." The two smiled at each other and hugged one last time for the night, each happy that they were getting away from that wretched city.

 **Epilogue**

Nick swiftly grabbed stuff from his room and began shoving things into boxes. He couldn't believe this was actually happening, that he was leaving this place behind and going to Bunnyburow. The place he had dreaded at the beginning of the summer was now where he desired to be the most. Funny how things happen like that.

As Nicked shoved his belongings into boxes, and his clothes into suitcases, Judy stood in his doorway looking around the small space. She volunteered herself to come and help the two move from the house, but didn't realize there wasn't really that much to pack. "You've lived here your entire life?" Judy asked.

Nicked didn't look back, but still nodded his head. "So many memories here, both good and bad," he told her. The fox finished stuffing the last of his cloths into his bags and zipped them up. He taped up the few boxes he had and turned to the bunny with a satisfied smile.

"Not much in here is there?" Judy stated. Nick shrugged in response, saying they never had much money to buy many things, and the money he 'earned' he spent on other things.

"Still, it has been my home for a long time and in going to miss it," Nick sighed as he carried some boxes by the bunny. Judy grabbed his bags and helped take them down to the moving truck. Everything that was furniture based had already been taken out by movers, making this place look very empty. After taking all his stuff out, the fox and bunny found their way into the kitchen and relaxed a little. They had been packing and moving everything for about two hours, so they felt like they deserved to take a breather. Anyways, most everything was already done. All they had left was some of his mom's things, but she'll take forever.

Its crazy how fast this was all happening. They had only talked about moving last night, and now here they were packing up everything. They didn't have the house yet, but Deb and Tim said that they could stay with them until the house was there's. His mom would also be starting her job for Tim next Monday. School for himself would also start up on Monday, which would be interesting because this would be the first time he's be going to school not knowing most of the animals there. It gave him a new challenge of getting to know everyone.

Everything was falling neatly into place for his life. He has the greatest friends, family, mom, and girlfriend any fox could ask for . Him and his mom have been talking more than they ever have, giving them a great relationship. He never knew just how great his mom was. Then there's his great love, Judy. She's changed his life more than he'd like to admit to her. Basically when he met her, everything bad about him was just swept away turning him into a new fox.

While the couple talked in the kitchen, they heard Vickie clear her throat in order to get their attention. They looked over and saw the vixen holding the last of her bags. She didn't have to say anything, Nick knew it was time to go. He smiled at his mom and gave a small nod, then followed her out to the truck. Before he got into the vehicle, he took one last look at his life long home. He was going to miss it, and he most certainly wasn't going to forget.

The three got into the truck and Vickie turned on the truck. "Well, here we go," She smiled as she started driving away from their old house, heading towards their new life. Nick let out a soft chuckle, amused with his thoughts. Who would have ever thoughts that a city fox like him would fall in love with a place like Bunnyburrow.

* * *

 **There it is, the conclusion to the story. Thanks to everyone who ever read my story, or favorited, followed, and reviewed. You are all the best. I honestly don't have any concluding remarks to make other than thank you.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


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